Huang Chengwei, 35, came to the Chinese mainland from Taiwan at age 18 and now has two identities: dentist and son-in-law.

Huang's family was involved in the denture processing industry for long time and had business links on the mainland, so he was no stranger. In 2005, he took the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan joint examination and was admitted to Nanjing Medical University to study diseases of the mouth. His study experiences induced him to put down roots on the mainland.

After completing his bachelor's degree, Huang continued his studies at Southern Medical University, working at Guangdong Provincial Stomatological Hospital after earning a master's degree.

Huang met a female colleague from Guizhou, Xiong Yue, and the relationship between them grew quickly. They married in 2018 and moved to Guiyang, Guizhou province, where they have been working at Stomatological Hospital affiliated with Guizhou Medical University.

Looking back at his life on the mainland since 2005, Huang said the biggest change for him was his sense of identity — from "stranger" to "one of us".

"When I went to the mainland initially, friends and colleagues surrounding me were all curious about what Taiwan looked like. But now things have changed. Friends of mine who are living in Taiwan ask me about the development of the mainland," he said.

Huang hopes he can be a bridge connecting both sides of the Taiwan Straits.

Zhang Chi contributed to this story.