A swimming contest to cross the strait between Xiamen and Jinmen sets off from Xiamen, Fujian province on July 28. [Photo/chinanews.cn]
A total of 200 swimmers took part in a ninth annual crossing of the strait between Xiamen, Fujian province and Jinmen, Taiwan on July 28.
The crossing this year consisted as in previous years of a relay race, with two participants for a group.
One hundred pairs of swimmers from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Chinese mainland were the participants, who were divided into male and female groups.
After fierce competition, Chuo Ch'eng-ch'i and Chuo P'ei-ch'I, a pair of brothers from Taiwan, came first in the 7 km race for men in 1 hour 30 minutes and 7 seconds, whilst Zhu Jiaming and Jia Yi from Fujian province set a new record for the female group, with a time of 1 hour 40 minutes and 52 seconds.
The contest was organized by the Chinese Swimming Association, Xiamen Municipal Government, the Chinese Taipei Adult Swimming Association and the Jinmen county government in the hope of enhancing friendly relations between residents across the Taiwan Straits through sports.
Now in its ninth year, the swimming contest has now become one of the most anticipated annual sporting events involving the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
