Photos by Lu Ting / China Daily

October 9 marked a historical day in marine travel across the Taiwan Straits as a new ship route linking Pingtan in Fujian province and Taipei in Taiwan was officially opened.

It is the first marine route launched by the Chinese mainland to Taipei.

The Haixia, a high-speed roll-on roll-off passenger ferry owned by the Fujian Straits Express Roll-On and Roll-Off Ship Transportation Company, will set off on a 2.5-hour Pingtan-Taipei trip on Wednesday and Saturdays. It has a capacity of about 2,800 people per trip.

The ferry also makes a round trip between Pingtan and Taichung on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

An economy cabin ticket on the Pingtan-Taipei voyage costs 1,200 yuan ($196) per person on paper. But in fact people of all ages can receive discounts. Adults, students and children can get discounts of 35 percent, 45 percent, and 55 percent, respectively. All passengers who buy round-trip tickets can enjoy another 5 percent discount.

The first-class cabin ticket for a single trip is 1,800 yuan. There are no discounts for adult tickets or round-trip tickets. But children and infants can get discounts of 55 percent and 90 percent, respectively.

Passengers will be charged additional fees for fuel, insurance and cleaning, said the Fujian Straits Express Roll-On and Roll-Off Ship Transportation Company.

The two cross-Straits marine routes make cross-Straits travel a lot easier, especially for people from Taipei, the largest and most populous city in Taiwan. Many such residents share common cultural origins with their Fujian compatriots, according to experts.

New Taipei City even expanded bus rides to transport local residents to the port.

The flourishing cross-Straits communication will attract more people to Pingtan to engage in the construction of a "Common Homeland" and boost Pingtan's development in the future, said Tao Juncheng, a member of the Taiwan Businessmen Association in Pingtan.