中國網(wǎng)站品牌欄目（頻道）
Red jumbu, a tropical fruit from Taiwan, sells for about 100 yuan ($15.25) a kilogram at a supermarket in Xiamen, a mainland city situated beside the Taiwan Straits. During most of the year, the price may strike many shoppers as being too high. But China's traditional Spring Festival makes for a special case.
"The sales of all fruits imported from Taiwan has increased by at least 50 percent compared with normal days," said Wu Yanping, a salesperson for the Taiwan fruit supplier Demei, which is based in East China's Fujian province. Other popular fruits from Taiwan include dragon fruit, star fruit, sugar apples, oranges and grapefruits.
When visiting family members and friends during the Spring Festival, many Chinese bring a basket of fruits as gifts. "Taiwan fruits have established a reputation for good quality, so our customers regard them as decent gifts that would earn them 'face'," Wu said.
"Because of the high price, Taiwan fruits may not be an everyday choice, but on special occasions like festivals, customers don't mind paying. I am confident of good business this year," she said.
Under an early harvest program, which took effect on Jan 1, nearly 540 commodities from Taiwan, including five popular Taiwan fruits, were made subject to lower tariffs when being imported to the mainland.
Another popular Taiwan product is a type of liquor made in Taiwan's Kinmen islands.
Yuan Jie, a Xiamen native, bought several bottles of Kinmen Liquor as a gift for her father-in-law when she visited her husband's family in the northern part of Fujian province during the Spring Festival.
"We spent more than 500 yuan for the liquor and also brought traditional hand-made candies from Kinmen," Yuan said.
Geographically and culturally close to Taiwan, Xiamen has been an important port for Taiwan commodities. Local residents and tourists can easily shop for food and daily necessities from Taiwan at a duty-free market in Dadeng Island.
"My husband and I often drive there to buy Taiwan specialties like cooking oil and snacks," Yuan said. "For people outside Xiamen in the mainland, things related to Taiwan have become one of Xiamen's specialties."
According to the General Administration of Customs, the mainland's imports from Taiwan reached $115.69 billion in 2010.
While Taiwan products remain popular in the mainland market, more mainland residents are visiting the island. Wen Junji, who is from Central China's Henan province, often saw mainland tourists during his eight-day vacation in Taiwan.
Taiwan's mainland-affairs department announced on Sunday that 1.82 million mainland tourists had visited Taiwan in tour packages from July 2008 to December 2010, bringing in an estimated NT$91 billion ($3.13 billion).
Officials on both sides of the Taiwan Straits previously agreed to increase the daily quota of mainland tourists from 3,000 to 4,000 starting Jan 1.
Questions:
1. What are some popular fruits from Taiwan?
2. How much do they sell for on the mainland?
3. What else is popular during the holidays?
Answers:
1. Red jumbu, dragon fruit, star fruit, sugar apples, oranges and grapefruits.
2. Red jumbo sells for about 100 yuan ($15.25) a kilogram at a supermarket in Xiamen.
3. Another popular Taiwan product is a type of liquor made in Taiwan's Kinmen islands.
（中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 Helen 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.
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