At a press conference held on December 24, the director of the "Taiwan Government Information Office", Vanessa Yea-ping Shih, announced that the island is to open its doors to mainland artists and performers, according to a report in the Taiwan United Evening News.

Mainland film crews and actors will be allowed to shoot TV series in Taiwan, and singers from the mainland will be able to make recordings and stage concerts in Taiwan.

Shih also expressed the hope that the mainland would accept books published with Taiwan ISBN numbers.

She said the new, more open policy would offer additional opportunities to Taiwan actors, because a certain proportion of roles in mainland productions shot in Taiwan will be reserved for Taiwan actors.

Speaking about the exchange of performers, Shih said, "The mainland has already carried out a series of opening up policies, and starting from now Taiwan will actively engage in discussions to change regulations to make it easier for mainland singers to perform in Taiwan."

Most music industry insiders are upbeat about the new policy. Huang Weijing, vice president of Typhoon Group’s China Office, said, "It is great. Entertainment should be kept separate from politics."

President of Taihe Rye Music, Song Ke agreed with Huang. "Entertainment is about having fun and has nothing to do with politics. This new open door policy will boost cross-Straits cultural exchanges," he said. "We are looking forward to our most competitive artists such as Chris Lee, Pu Shu and Sha Baoliang having the opportunity to perform and release albums in Taiwan.

It is rumored that some popular mainland artists such as Huang Xiaoming, Anson Hu and Yuan Quan, are already planning to perform in Taiwan next year.

Mainland pop singer Na Ying, who won the hearts of Taiwan fans with her beautiful song "Conquer", is expected to be one of the first stars to perform in Taiwan after the restrictions are eased.

(China.org.cn by Ma Yujia, December 25, 2008)