Military retirees and painters in a calligraphy and water painting exhibition.

According to Liu, the unification relies on good communication and exchange. The cross-Straits economic cooperation initiated by the Straits Exchange Foundation and Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) has already made significant progress by lifting Taiwan out of its sagging economy.

Liu hopes a security agreement can be established under the name of mutual military trust. Furthermore, the retiree believes both sides could follow a win-win strategy resulting in a political agreement for the reunion and peace of the Chinese nation.

"We all share the same blood. We hope we can return to the original peaceful and harmonious land holding the hands of our fellow countrymen."

A native of northeastern China, Liu came to Taiwan with his father at the age of eight. In recent years, he has been occupied with enhancing the communication between the residents of mainland's Guangdong and Fujian provinces and Taiwan.

Qian Guoliang, one of the top generals of People's Liberation Army (PLA), also attended the exhibition. He said that culture plays a significant role in the renewal of any country.

(The article was first published in chinanews.com in Chinese and was later translated and edited by Wu Jin)