赴台旅游首选

       厦门台湾自然条件相似，生活方式也颇为相同，有一条脐带总联系着祖国大陆和宝岛台湾，那就是两岸的五缘关系。地缘相近、血缘相亲、文缘相承、商缘相连、法缘相循，厦门就是这五缘之间最闪亮的明珠。海空航线结合，厦门在对台航线的数量上稳居大陆第一位。

    The Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) and the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) signed protocols on direct shipping, air transport and postal services in 2008. The accords allowed civilian planes and ships to directly cross the Taiwan Strait.

    Xiamen is one of the first five cities to provide this service, along with Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Nanjing. Xiamen has long played a crucial role in cross-Strait tourism. The first non-stop chartered flight across the Taiwan Strait began during Chinese New Year in 2005. Six airline companies from each side offered flights during the period. The cross-Strait flight takes approximately 90 minutes.

 Cross－Strait transportation
 便捷的闽台交通

    Xiamen is the closest city in mainland China to Taiwan. The island is 150 kilometers from Taiwan proper, 15 kilometers from Kinmen and five kilometers from Lesser Kinmen. Taiwan islands can be reached by ferry, private boat and air. 

    Xiamen International Cruise Center
    厦门国际邮轮中心

    The Xiamen International Cruise Center on Dongdu Road comprises a terminal for cruise ships, a joint inspection building and a terminal for the ferry service between Xiamen and Kinmen. The facility has a shoreline of 463 meters and is capable of accommodating cruise ships with a gross deadweight of up to 140,000 tons and container vessels with a gross deadweight of up to 30,000 tons. Ferry service to Kinmen was inaugurated in 2001. In 2008, the ferry terminal was relocated to the Xiamen International Cruise Center. There are currently 20 ferries per day on the route. 

    Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport
    厦门高崎国际机场

    The Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport is located on the northeastern tip of Xiamen Island approximately 10 kilometers from the city center. The airport sits in the heart of the South Fujian Triangle and faces toward Taiwan. The runway is capable of accommodating 40 jumbo jets simultaneously. Since becoming a point of departure for direct charter flights to Taiwan in 2006, the airport has recorded more than 1,500 direct flights and 244,000 passengers to Taiwan, with an average occupancy rate of 85.5 percent. At present, there are 17 weekly flights to Taiwan. The flights are operated by Mandarin Lines, Uni Air, TransAsia Airways and Xiamen Airlines. The average price for a round trip ticket is 2,000 yuan. 

    Xiamen Wutong Passenger Terminal
    厦门五通客运码头

    The Xiamen Wutong Passenger Terminal opened in 2008 and handled approximately 380,000 passengers last year, compared with approximately 70,000 in its inaugural year. The terminal handled more than 340,000 passengers in the year to date. The 9.7-nautical-mile trip to Kinmen takes 25 minutes, making the route the shortest pathway between Xiamen and Kinmen. Over the past two years, more than 800,000 passengers have used the ferry service. Construction of a new terminal building will kick off next month. The new facility will raise the terminal’s annual capacity to one million passengers. There are currently 12 ferries per day on the route. 

    Cosco Star Ro/Ro
    “中远之星”客滚轮

    The Cosco Star is a roll-on/roll-off ship operated by the Xiamen Fujian-Taiwan Ferry Company. It is the first and only ship of its kind operating across the Taiwan Strait. The Cosco Star began services between Xiamen, Taichung and Keelong last year. The vessel has completed 83 voyages with more than16,000 passengers over the past year. Ship amenities include a duty-free shop, a restaurant, a bar and an exercise facility that includes a sauna. Overnight trips to Taiwan depart every Tuesday and Thursday.
Photos by Chen Lixin and Zheng Xiaodong