"Fulfilling one's duty begins with original aspiration, while cross-Strait ties are forged through steadfast action." The inscription, penned on the title page of Chen Xiaoyan's 2025 notebook, is a philosophy she is actively applying as cross-Strait demographics and social needs evolve.

Chen, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and an official with the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots, has been calling for deeper integration between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland in recent years.

A member of the Gaoshan ethnic group originally from Taiwan and a holder of a doctorate in law, Chen has seen her proposals translate into national policy. Between 2023 and 2025, four of her proposals were designated as key annual projects by the CPPCC, while two were successfully converted into regulations.

One of her most rewarding achievements involved a proposal to waive processing fees for first-time Taiwan residents applying for travel permits to the Chinese mainland. To build her case, Chen said she traveled extensively between Beijing, Shanghai, and Xiamen in Fujian province, interviewing dozens of Taiwan compatriots to document their specific hurdles.

"A proposal is a bridge connecting people's hearts," Chen said. When the policy was officially implemented in July, she again wrote a note in her journal, saying that "the connection between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait begins with drops of warmth".

Last year, Oct 25 was legally designated by China's national legislature as the Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration. She and her team were tasked with bringing together representatives of Taiwan compatriots from the island, overseas Chinese, and cross-Strait exchange coordinators to Beijing to join the commemorative meeting.

Despite health issues, business commitments, or previous plans, every person invited agreed to come. "This was the collective voice of people who had waited decades for this moment," she said.

Throughout her career as a member of the CPPCC National Committee, Chen said she believes "what truly closes the distance between us is deep-level cultural and spiritual exchange".

During this year's session, she focused on issues including the education and elderly care sectors.

"Educators are 'ferrymen' navigating cross-Strait relations, bringing distinct regional cultures and advanced education concepts into the system of the Chinese mainland," Chen said.

Over the past three decades of exchange, the landscape of cross-Strait education has gradually matured, she said. Early visiting students from Taiwan have now grown into educators themselves, increasingly finding employment across the Chinese mainland in institutions ranging from kindergartens to vocational schools and universities.

"They bring their own regional culture, such as Minnan and Hakka, to the Chinese mainland," Chen said.

At the same time, the education in Taiwan often emphasizes on the students' humanities, aesthetic appreciation, cognitive development, and social practice, which can be better integrated into the basic education system on the Chinese mainland through primary and secondary school teachers.

However, discrepancies in educational frameworks and syllabus requirements make teacher certification a major obstacle for educators looking for cross-Strait exchange. While rapid credential recognition is available in the demonstration zone for integrated cross-Strait development in Fujian province, Chen said there is an urgent need to expand these practices nationwide to smooth the path for incoming teachers.

The migration of teachers in Taiwan also reflects the political and professional conditions on the island. "Educators who advocate the correct historical view face pressure and limited career growth under the Democratic Progressive Party administration," she said.

Teachers from Taiwan are drawn to the career mobility on the Chinese mainland, she said, adding that more teachers and their students from Taiwan are expected to visit the Chinese mainland and develop deep exchanges.

Apart from education, Chen identified the similar aging populations across the Taiwan Strait as a critical area for cooperation, rooted deeply in the shared traditional Chinese virtue of filial piety.

According to the member of the CPPCC National Committee, successful health and elderly care facilities supported by Taiwan enterprises have already operated in provinces such as Jiangsu, which are frequently studied by mainland operators for their meticulous and professional standards.

"This elderly care market is vast," Chen said, encouraging more Taiwan enterprises to bring their management concepts and technologies to the Chinese mainland to jointly boost the national health and wellness industry.