The "mini three links" ferry route between Xiamen City, east China's Fujian Province, and Kinmen in the Taiwan region has seen a breakthrough in total passenger trips, surpassing 24 million as of 10:00 Tuesday since its launch 25 years ago.

The "mini three links," launched on Jan 2, 2001, refer to direct trade, mail and transport services between Fujian and the Taiwan region-administered Kinmen and Matsu islands.

At present, the Xiamen-Kinmen "mini three links" route operates 24 round-trips each day. Since the beginning of this year, the route has handled nearly 500,000 passenger trips, up more than 24 percent year on year. On February 9, the daily passenger trips exceeded 7,800, the highest single-day record since services resumed in 2023.

With the approach of the Qingming Festival, a traditional time in China for honoring ancestors and tomb-sweeping falling on April 5 this year, the "mini three links" ferry route has become the preferred travel choice for many Taiwan compatriots returning to their ancestral homes.

"My ancestral home is in Xiamen's Tongan District. And I come back to pay respects to the ancestors. I often travel back and forth, and it is very convenient. The 'mini three links' is really great and affordable, making cross-Strait travel highly convenient," said Chen, a passenger from the Taiwan region.

"I'm here to travel. And after my travels, I will return to pay my respects to the ancestors. So, I will bring back some local specialties from Xiamen, such as candy and cookies," said Wu, another passenger from the Taiwan region.

Zhang Huasang, an official with the Gaoqi frontier inspection station of the Xiamen General Immigration Inspection Station, said the continuous upgrades to the customs clearance system have made the process for passengers more efficient.

"The Xiamen-Kinmen 'mini three links' route has achieved a historic breakthrough in direct cross-Strait maritime travels in more than half a century. From waterways, ferries, and terminals to customs clearance services, the continuous upgrades have created multiple 'national firsts' in the process of cross-Strait exchanges, especially the country's first interactive smart customs clearance system for seaport, which allows the inspection efficiency for an individual ferry trip to be boosted by over 40 percent," said Zhang.