The first direct commercial flights between China and Taiwan began in 2005
After more than five decades of restricted travel, the first direct commercial flights between mainland China and Taiwan took flight in 2005, signaling a historic thaw in long-standing cross-strait tensions.
The skies over the Taiwan Strait saw a historic shift on January 29, 2005, when the first direct commercial flights in 56 years launched between mainland China and Taiwan. Since 1949, travelers usually had to endure long layovers in third locations like Hong Kong. This breakthrough began with a China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou to Taipei, followed quickly by a China Airlines jet landing in Beijing.
There's more to this story — open the app to keep reading.
Continue Reading in App
1 more paragraphs · plus a 3-question quiz