A mainland tourist (left) examines an item in a shop of famous Taiwan products in Taipei yesterday. The number of visitors from the mainland in the first nine months increased nearly 500 percent over the same period last year, government figures show. CNA

TAIPEI: The number of mainlanders visiting Taiwan was dramatically up in the first nine months of this year - almost 500%, reflecting measures taken by the government last year to facilitate trips to Taiwan by mainland travelers, head of the immigration authorities Hsieh Li-kung said yesterday.

A total of 426,782 mainlanders arrived in Taiwan between January 1 and September 30, far surpassing the 89,256 who visited in the first nine months of 2008, the immigration department reported.

Hsieh attributed the increase to several measures adopted by the government, including opening Taiwan's doors wider to mainland tourists in mid-July last year and launching nonstop daily flights between Taiwan and the mainland.

In a related development, officials at the National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei said, because all Chinese see Dr Sun Yat-sen as a great revolutionary and political leader, it is not surprising that items bearing his image at the memorial hall have become highly popular items among visitors from the mainland, especially Sun Yat-sen dolls.

The 10-centimeter-tall figurine has been the most popular item among mainland tourists at the facility's gift shop, said Cheng Nai-wen, the director of the memorial hall, following a legislative committee meeting.

Cheng estimated that the gift shop, which was reopened October 5 after the hall contracted the Taiwan Handicraft Promotion Center to run it, could generate NT$2.76 million ($85,235) annually in rights fees.

In addition to the Sun Yat-sen dolls, which sell for NT$300 each, mainland tourists also like to buy documentary videos on the family of the late Kuomintang (KMT) leader Chiang Kai-shek, stamps, Taiwan dollar bills, commemorative coins and flags, Cheng said.

"Mainland tourists often get excited when they see figurines," said gift shop manager Christine Chu, adding that usually they don't just buy one doll.

The souvenir shop also sells figurines of Chiang, his wife, and his son Chiang Ching-kuo, figures of Taiwan and mainland leaders such as Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, Chu added.

She also noted that the Sun Yat-sen stamp collection, sold exclusively at the memorial hall for NT$500, has been very popular among mainland tourists since it was launched a year ago.

Sun Yat-sen is often referred to as "father of the nation" as he played an instrumental role in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty in 1911. He remains unique among 20th-century Chinese politicians for being widely revered both on the mainland, in Taiwan and among Chinese communities throughout the world.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 10/22/2009 page2)