East China's Kunshan city in Jiangsu province has been dubbed as the 'Little Taipei' and that's for good reason. The city has over 4,000 Taiwan-invested companies registered, and over 100,000 Taiwan residents living in the area.
In Kunshan, you may easily pick up a Taiwan accent, with a more gentle and mild tone. A school was built exclusively for the Taiwan students 15 years ago. From kindergarten, to senior high, there are about 1,000 students of all ages attending this school at the moment.
Out in downtown Kunshan, you may wonder if you have got lost in the city of Taipei.
Coffee shops providing authentic Taiwan food or check out a booth serving the flavor-filled Taiwan iconic pearl milk tea.
At a local Taiwan-styled temple, funded by both the Taiwan community here and the locals, you can worship the goddess of Mazu, who is the iconic protector for people on both sides of the strait.
It's the Kunshan version of "Eat, Pray and of course Love".
Like this couple, husband Pong Chi-wei from Taiwan and wife Liu Xue-mei from Kunshan… She said it was love at first sight when they met 14 years ago. But what made her determined to marry him, is not only her husband's handsome look.
Another couple we met, is Cartoonist Lin Cheng-te from Taiwan and Zhu Na from the mainland. They were colleagues first, and eventually fell in love.
Together, they created "Fen Mo Baby", a cartoon series featuring the Kunqu Opera… hoping the younger generation can get interested in China's beautiful traditional culture.
The couple say they cannot achieve so much in their careers without the unconditional support from both families in Taiwan and the Mainland.
Both couples say they surely have different opinions on many issues, as they were raised in different environments on either sides of the Strait. But nothing can trump love.
Because "blood is thicker than water".
