Two Mountains across the Straits Share a Name

China has two Half-Screen Mountains， one in Dongtou County， Zhejiang Province and the other in Kaohsiung， Taiwan Province. The Half-Screen Mountain on this side of the strait is located in Dongping Town， Dongtou under the jurisdiction of Wenzhou， a port city in southern Zhejiang.

Situated about four kilometers from the county capital， the mountain is a natural shield of Dongtou Port， a first-class national fishing port. On the northwest side of the mountain spread houses and farmland where about 4，000 residents live. They speak the Minnan Dialect， a vernacular popular in southern Fujian Province and Taiwan Province. The southeast side of the Mountain presents a steep and wide cliff， which looks as if it were chopped flat by axes. The rock-face spreads about 2 kilometers， giving four general pictures and forming 18 scenic spots. Tourism experts agree unanimously that this is China’s most wonderful screen-like mountain on the sea. The Half-Screen Mountain in Dongtou has lush acacia woods. Called “I-Miss-You” tree in Chinese， the evergreen acacia is the county tree of Dongtou.

The Half-Screen Mountain in Kaohsiung is situated to the northeast of Lotus Pond， a famous tourist destination of Taiwan. The 233-meter-tall mountain and the Dragon-Tiger Pagoda near the pond throw their reflections into the crystal pond. Their silhouettes at sunset moment are one of the eight best views at the scenic spot.

The two mountains have more in common than just the name. The two mountains look alike and the residents in two places share the regional dialect and a similar lifestyle.

Sanlih Entertainment Television， a Taiwan-based television network， sent a team to Dongtou Island in December 2009. They came to the mainland for shooting a documentary entitled “Stories of China”. When they came， they did not know the existence of the namesake mountain in Dongtou. They video-taped the local customs and to their huge surprise， they found a lot of things on the both sides were exactly the same. While taking a break， the shooting crew from Taiwan chatted with local companions and learned the existence of Half-Screen Mountain in Dongtou. As journalists， they immediately became aware of the importance of the clue. They decided to pay a visit to the scenic spot.

They were amazed by the majesty and beauty of the mountain that shares the name of a mountain they had known in Taiwan for all their lives. They became excited. The documentary host was so excited that he gave the guide a bear hug， shouting “Brother， We are brothers!”

On January 11， 2010， the documentary was screened on Sanlih Entertainment Television. The “We are brothers!” part became the most touching moment in the documentary. The sensational video clip spread far and wide.

More Exchange Events

From March 10 to 14， 2010， a delegation from Kaohsiung visited Wenzhou to promote the friendship of the two mountains. The 34-member delegation visited Wenzhou first. Wenzhou and Kaohsiung signed a tourism cooperation agreement， which established a mechanism to coordinate tours across the Taiwan Straits. The five-day visit climaxed on March 12 when the delegation visited Dongtou County. Visitors from Taiwan and local representatives planted “I-Miss-You” trees at Half Screen Mountain. A ceremony was held to unveil a stone stele called “Shared Ancestral Roots Monument”.

In May， 2010， a tourism and culture association for Half-Screen Mountains was founded in Kaohsiung. A delegation from Wenzhou attended the inaugural ceremony. In June， a Taiwan-Zhejiang trade and culture cooperation symposium was held in Taiwan. Honorary chairman of KTM Lien Chan met with the Zhejiang Delegation on June 10， 2010 in Taipei and regaled the delegation with a banquet. At the banquet， Lien Chan mentioned the Half-Screen Mountain to Mayor of Wenzhou Zhao Yide.

July 20， 2010 witnessed a six-member delegation from Taiwan tourism authorities visit Dongtou. They came to make arrangements for the direct passenger operations across the straits. August 23 saw Wenzhou set up a similar tourism and culture association to promote the strong ties between the twinned mountains. □