Pingtan, the closest point on the Chinese mainland to the island of Taiwan and one of China's only two state-approved international tourism islands, sits in the Taiwan Straits. This unique position gives it great significance for cross-Straits integration and coastal tourism development. This coastal gem recently left an indelible impression on a retired couple from Urumqi, Xinjiang, who traveled over 4,000 kilometers to the island on a cross-country road trip during the Spring Festival.

Wang Jibing, 62, and his wife Liu Yun, both in their sixties, stumbled upon Pingtan as a random stop on their trip along Fujian's coastal cities. The island, dotted with wind turbines and distinctive stone houses, stunned the couple who are used to the vast Gobi deserts of Xinjiang. When visiting Beigang Village, Liu Yun could not stop taking photos of the well-arranged stone houses and even told her husband, "Pingtan is such a nice place with pleasant weather. If we had come earlier, we might have bought a house here to settle down. I love seafood so much, this place is perfect for me."

Pingtan Strait Rail-cum-Road Bridge

Traffic jams didn't bother them—even during the Spring Festival peak on the way to Beigang Village. "A traffic jam is just part of the experience," Liu Yun said cheerfully. "We don't rush. We just enjoy one spot a day." Wang, who's been driving for decades, was impressed by the Pingtan Strait Rail-cum-Road Bridge—China's first cross-sea road-rail bridge and a forerunner project of the future Beijing-Taiwan high-speed railway. "I kept wondering how a train could run under the road while I was driving across," he said. The couple loves the idea of one day taking that high-speed rail all the way to Taiwan in 2035.

Beigang Village

The couple started their self-driving journey from Urumqi in December 2025, a normal lifestyle for them since retirement as they spend more than half a year on the road annually. They travel without detailed plans, with Wang as the driver and Liu as his cheerful companion. "We never know where we will go tomorrow, we just hit the road whenever we want," Liu said, adding, "When he feels tired driving, I talk to him more; he drives wherever I want to go." Their black SUV serves as a mobile home, with the back seat folded into a bed and a full set of camping and cooking gear in the trunk. They shared warm stories along the way, such as local villagers giving them fresh sweet potatoes in Sichuan and Chongqing, and village committee staff inviting them to rest.

Pingtan's "blue tears"

Liu also praised Pingtan's well-developed tourism services, noting that staff and volunteers in vests at every scenic spot patiently guided parking and answered questions, making them feel at ease. "The supporting facilities here are perfect. You can really tell that the local government cares about the tourists," she said. After their stay in Pingtan, the couple headed to Xiamen and planned to continue south with no fixed itinerary. But they made a firm promise: "We will definitely come back to Pingtan to see the blue tears."