A vendor serve malatang to a guest in a local store in Tianshui, Gansu, on March 15, 2024. Photo: VCG

 
The spicy hotpot, or malatang, in Tianshui,  a latest hit delicacy craze in the Chinese mainland, is gaining attention in the island of Taiwan, which represents a cultural bond and cuisine between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits, said a Chinese spokesperson from the mainland on Wednesday.

In response to inquiries from a China News Service (CNS) journalist regarding the surge in popularity of spicy hotpot in the city of Tianshui, Northwest China's Gansu Province, attracting attention from lots of visitors from the island of Taiwan, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks at a press conference.

Taiwan visitors have been spotted across various mainland destinations, from barbecue spots in Zibo, Shandong Province to the ice and snow world of Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, reports said. 

Chen noted that from learning the Guangxi "subject three" dance, to visiting the ice and snow world in Harbin, from tasting Sichuan pickled fish to the pursuit of Gansu spicy hotpot, food, beautiful scenery and popular culture from the mainland are easily conquering the hearts of young Taiwan people.

Chen emphasized the shared heritage and identity between both sides of the Taiwan Straits, saying that we are all Chinese people by nature, with a mutual affinity for Chinese flavors.

Many young people from Taiwan, including those born in the 2000s, have expressed a shift in their perceptions after experiencing the mainland firsthand, saying that "it differs from what they've been told by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)," the CNS journalist said.

Regarding the discrepancy in perceptions between the mainland and the DPP, Chen encouraged visitors from Taiwan to come to the mainland and witness the reality for themselves, urging them to reflect on why the DPP authorities consistently choose deception and misinformation. 

Global Times