OVER the past decade, Beijing resident Zhang Li has travelled much of mainland China with her son Li Qiao, as she seeks to "broaden his horizons".
Now, they are gunning for Taiwan - the one place they have not visited because of political tensions between mainland China and Taiwan since the two sides split amid a civil war in 1949.
Her 21-year-old son, Madam Zhang said, has been fascinated with the self-governing island since watching Mr Lien Chan, then-chairman of Taiwan's Kuomintang (KMT), on television during his visit to Beijing in 2005 - the first by a KMT chairman since 1949.
"He likes the atmosphere of democracy," said Madam Zhang, 51, a retired human resource manager. "He also likes Taiwanese pop singer Jay Chou."
They signed up with an authorised travel agency in Beijing, hoping to be among the first 760 travelling to Taiwan on Friday. But with thousands fighting for the precious seats, they were rejected. They plan to try again.
Two firms, one in Fujian province and the other in Jiangsu, told The Straits Times that response was overwhelming despite the relatively higher costs of the tours.
An eight- to 10-day Taiwan tour can cost as much as 14,000 yuan (S$2,750), compared to about 5,000 yuan for a trip to other countries in the region such as Malaysia or Thailand.
A manager for the Fujian Tourism Company, who wanted to be known only as Ms Zhou, admitted prices are steep, "but neither we nor people on the Taiwan side are earning money for this trip".
"The tourists will stay in five-star hotels and enjoy a great reception. The first trip to Taiwan has great historic significance. Earning a profit is not important," she said.
A straw poll by The Straits Times of 20 mainland Chinese showed that the majority, 17 of them, were keen on a Taiwan holiday.
Many said they were curious to see Taiwan after such a long separation. Others were drawn to the island's culture, scenery and cuisine. The only drawback, they said, would be if tours were too expensive.
Mr Ding Qingyuan, vice-general manager of China Travel Service in Jiangsu, believes prices will drop. "Things in Taiwan are quite expensive, almost as expensive as in Japan, especially food. But the subsequent tours will be a bit
cheaper if we cut down the itinerary. After all, we have to keep things affordable," he said.
However, a recent survey of 2,000 mainland Chinese conducted by a local newspaper showed that there were other reasons why not everyone was enthusiastic.
Some 42 per cent of respondents said they had misgivings about visiting Taiwan because "the Taiwanese would be biased against us and we would be closely monitored".
A third said the restrictions placed on the visits - 10-day maximum and no gambling, among other requirements - were a turn-off.
But these will not deter Madam Zhang. "If Taiwanese look down on mainland Chinese, it's because some might have left bad impressions by being rude. But it will not bother me much because I have good manners. I want
to see how beautiful Taiwan is with my own eyes."
Additional reporting by Lina Miao and Feng Yun
This article was first published in The Straits Times on July 2, 2008.
