Basketball game brings teenagers across Taiwan Strait closer

TAIPEI -- A high school basketball team from the Chinese mainland played their first game against a high school team from Taipei in a youth basketball invitational on Wednesday afternoon, a valuable opportunity for the teenagers across the Taiwan Strait to become better acquainted.

The 40-minute game between the male basketball teams from the Lianyungang Foreign Language School in eastern Jiangsu province and Taipei Song-Shan Senior High School was intense and exciting, with players from both sides fiercely competing while cheers and chants filled the stands of the Taipei Gymnasium.

During the game, a mainland player fell while making a layup, and a player from Taiwan immediately reached out to help him up.

Both teams took turns leading the score, but in the end, the Taipei team secured a narrow victory. After the game, the players from both sides shook hands, embraced, and patted each other on the shoulder for encouragement. They also exchanged gifts.

The 13-member male basketball team from Lianyungang will face off against their peers from another high school and a vocational school in Taiwan in the next three days.

"The basic skills of the Taiwan players are really solid. Their footwork and defense are spot-on, and we have a lot to learn from them," said Wang Yingzheng, a player from the Lianyungang team. "Everyone is very warm and friendly. There are still a few more days of competition, and I hope to make more friends here."

"I've only watched mainland teams play online before, and today was my first time interacting with them in person. I had a chat with some mainland friends outside the court," said Zha Jie from Song-Shan who scored a game-high 20 points. He was equally thrilled about the opportunity to meet his peers from the mainland for the first time.

The match with the mainland team was very meaningful, said Yeh Wei-chiao, coach of the Taipei team.

"Mainland players have a physical advantage, so we needed to focus on using our speed to compensate for our disadvantages. We're very grateful for the exciting game brought by students from both sides," said Yeh, who has been coaching basketball at the school for seven years. He recalled that his school team had previously played against mainland high school teams from Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces.

The game not only showcased the basketball skills of the young students from both sides but also provided a valuable platform for mutual understanding and friendship, said Lee Yu-lung, secretary-general of the Taipei-based Association of Cross-Strait Exchange for Athletics, Culture and Education, one of the event organizers.

"The basketball court, in this way, became a bridge for communication between young people across the Strait," Lee said. "We look forward to more opportunities like this in the future, where students from both sides can grow together through diverse sports and cultural exchange activities, working hand in hand toward a better future."