Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) Mofan Street in Kinmen has become a popular destination with tourists from China over the last few days as stores on one side of the street have been decorated with the flag of the Republic of China (ROC) and those on the other the flag of the People's Republic of China (PRC) for the New Year holiday.

Local ceramic artist Wang Ming-tzung (王明宗) came up with the idea of hanging the flags in front of stores from New Year's Eve until after Chinese New Year to promote local tourism, said Tsai Hsiang-kun (蔡祥坤), chief of Dongmen Borough in Kinmen's Jincheng Township.

Wang said that from a cultural and creative perspective, he broached the idea of using the flags as an art installation to attract tourists and explore business opportunities for the area in a completely innovative way.

Kinmen, as a former frontline location in fighting with China, should develop its own distinctive approach to attract tourists, Wang said.

Noting that displaying the PRC flag, also known as the Five-star Red Flag, was a sensitive issue for Taiwan nationals in the past, Wang said, times have changed. He also emphasized that the development of Kinmen requires new thinking.

On New Year's Day, many tourists visited the street to see first hand the rare sight of the two flags side by side.

A 40-plus tourist group from Xiamen in the southeast China's Fujian Province took pictures with the Five-star Red Flag.

A native Kinmen woman surnamed Yen who lives in Taiwan proper said it's a good idea to put the flags of the ROC and PRC together on the street because people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family, adding that she plans to show friends in Taiwan pictures of the scene.

Although some Kinmen residents said it was strange to see the Chinese national flag in ROC territory, store owners agreed it would definitely help attract tourists.

(By Huang Huei-min and Evelyn Kao)
Enditem/AW