Taiwanese filmmaker Chiu Ching-ling has spent more than a decade working on the Chinese mainland, using his work to explore and highlight the enduring cultural and familial ties between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. His latest project, *Memories of Yunnan Black Tea*, which wrapped filming last week in Baoshan, Yunnan province, centers on a Taiwanese woman tracing the roots of her foster father’s mainland Chinese ancestry.

During production, Chiu encountered an elderly tea farmer who tended a 300-year-old tea tree and maintained a family promise for over 60 years. The farmer’s father had agreed to send a tea cake annually to his brother, who had moved to Taiwan to trade tea. Despite the decades and geographical separation, this promise was faithfully kept. The tea farmer entrusted Chiu with a carefully preserved aged tea cake, meant to be delivered to his brother’s descendants. Chiu described this enduring bond as more moving than anything scripted.

Chiu’s work often focuses on reconnecting with ancestral heritage, a theme informed by his own background as a descendant of migrants from Fujian province to Taiwan. He recounted an emotional return visit to his ancestral family home in Fujian, where touching the weathered wooden door described by his grandfather gave him a profound sense of belonging.

Beyond familial ties, Chiu emphasizes everyday moments that reveal shared culture—such as recognizing a familiar dialect or discovering common local foods and customs—showcasing how deeply intertwined the roots of people on both sides remain. He has sought to capture these experiences to demonstrate that ties between the two communities have never truly been broken.

Chiu’s videos have found audiences on both sides of the Strait and have garnered recognition, including an award for a documentary about his ancestral home visit. The rising popularity of mainland-produced short videos and micro-dramas in Taiwan, particularly among younger viewers, mirrors a growing trend of Taiwanese content creators pursuing opportunities on the mainland.

Acknowledging initial challenges faced by Taiwanese creators unfamiliar with mainland regulations and markets, Chiu believes their distinct perspectives bring innovation to content creation. He encourages emerging Taiwanese talent to explore the mainland market, noting recent policy measures designed to facilitate joint productions and cultural exchanges between the two sides. These measures followed the Chinese Kuomintang delegation’s visit to the mainland in April and aim to promote cooperation in short and micro-drama productions.

Reflecting on his own journey from newcomer to established professional on the mainland, Chiu described his decision to work across the Strait as one of the best he has made, underscoring the potential for cultural content to bridge divides and resonate across communities.