The 2018 Cross-Straits Dragon Boat Festival is to pull oars in the Jimei district of Xiamen from June 2 to 3, an appetizer for the annual Straits Forum.

A total of 53 teams have signed up for the dragon boat contest, including 24 from Taiwan.

To highlight cross-Straits features, the event will use referees from both the mainland and Taiwan.

A dragon boat-themed fair is to be held on water's sidelines for the first time, with some renowned Taiwan artisans showing the masterful skills involved in crafting a dragon boat by hand.

First held in Jimei in 2016, the festival was designed as an important cross-Straits cultural exchange program by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council in 2010.

Since 2017 it has been included as part of the annual Straits Forum, which itself has been an important platform for promoting grassroots communications, exchanges in trade and cultural integration across the Taiwan Straits since 2009.

Fujian, as the host, is closely linked with Taiwan, not just by the narrowness of the ocean channel, but also by blood ties, common language and folk customs. Statistics show that roughly 80 percent of Taiwan residents are of Fujian origin.