After the victory over the Japanese in Sept. 1945, his parents and younger brother all went back to Taiwan from Beijing. The separation of the mainland and Taiwan prevented him from knowing about his father's death in 1955 for 20 years.
In 1984, He's mother returned to Beijing from the United States, and in 1987, the family reunited in the United States.
He finally returned to Taiwan in 1995 for a seminar. He brought sandalwood from Beijing's Lama Temple, white wine from the mainland and flowers, bowing deeply in front of his father and grandmother's memorial tablets.
"My family took half a century to reunite," He said.
Exchanges between the two sides have grown ever closer since 1987. In December 2008, the two sides established direct mail, transport and trade links, facilitating more frequent contacts between people across the strait.
After rebuilding his old house, Hu now goes back to his hometown in Hunan and lives there for two months every year. Hu rebuilt his family' s ancestral hall and established a scholarship foundation to support college students from younger generations.
In 2012, a family composed of a husband from Taiwan, a wife from the mainland and a six-year-old daughter began their seventh year of familial ties in Beijing. Jackie Yang, the husband and father, met Zhang Ming in Melbourne, Australia, and in 2005 they married in Beijing.
"Beijing is where my home is," said Yang. "Of course I miss Taiwan a lot. Now it's very convenient to go back to Taiwan, so we stay there for a long time every year."
Zhou Ying, an employee at China Eastern Airlines, has spent three Spring Festivals in Taipei.
Spring Festival is the most important festival in Chinese culture, as family members spend the holiday reuniting.
The upcoming Spring Festival will be different for Zhou, as the family members of mainland employees are now allowed to visit Taiwan for family reunions.
"We can enjoy the festival in Taipei," said Zhou. "We no longer feel alone."
Residential building collapses in E China's Ningbo
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