Twenty-six young couples from the Chinese mainland have arrived?in Beijing?for a free tour, and, more importantly, a group wedding.

The couples, all selected from on-line applicants, arrived in Taipei Saturday. They will join four pairs of local brides and grooms for the wedding planned beside the island's scenic Sun Moon Lake.

The couples will spend a nine-day honeymoon touring major tourist attractions on the island and savoring local folk culture, said a spokesman with the Guangdong Shuangxi Cultural Communication Company, one of the organizers.

The activity was organized to help enhance the friendship and understanding between young people from the mainland and Taiwan, and promote cross-Strait cultural exchanges, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2009)