Reporters from both sides of the Taiwan Strait embarked on a nine-day trip to Ningxia Hui autonomous region on Wednesday to report on the latest local developments and boost mutual understanding.

The annual event has been held since 2000 and is organized by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the All-China Journalists Association.

Wu Xi, deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at the opening ceremony that the event will cover various perspectives and fields such as fostering new quality productive forces and driving innovation, promoting common prosperity and rural revitalization, environmental protection and ecological civilization.

Tian Yuhong, a senior official of the All-China Journalists Association, said the event serves as a way to fulfil the demands of press inquiries while also showcase the newest advances in the area, provides a platform for media professionals from both sides of the Taiwan Strait to learn from one another and also promotes emotional connection among journalists through the shared experiences of living, working, and traveling.

During the trips, reporters conduct in-depth interviews and write news reports with the firsthand experience of the economic prosperity, ethnic unity, cultural prosperity, and rich local customs of Ningxia Hui autonomous region, to showcase the latest achievements of Chinese modernization.

After visiting the Great Wall Garden Community, Wu Pengting, a lawyer from Taiwan who participates in the trip, said that such community that serves the elders so well that it should also be promoted in Taiwan since the Taiwan's aging population is getting bigger and bigger.

Some 36 reporters from 22 media outlets from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong are participating this year, including eight media outlets from Taiwan.

They will visit the Ningxia Museum, the Shapotou nature reserve, and many other spots. They will also enjoy dishes made from Tan sheep, a local breed in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and watch immersive performances.

Wu said that singing with the elder Quyuan art troupe, a choir of local elderly people in Yinchuan, Ningxia's capital, evoked a strong sense of kinship between people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, as he had sung these same songs in Taiwan during his youth.