Editor's note: The Taiwan question is a key focus for China and the international community. China Daily is publishing a series of reports to track hot Taiwan-related topics and address disinformation from the Democratic Progressive Party administration.

A growing number of Taiwan social media influencers are crossing the Strait to document the Chinese mainland's rapid development, sparking a "reality-check" trend that has caught the Democratic Progressive Party off guard despite its tightened restrictions on exchanges.

In February, Fan Chi-fei, a former correspondent for several Taiwan media outlets, shared her experience of traveling to Chengdu, Sichuan province, on her YouTube channel, describing the trip as "very interesting" and praising the local cuisine and giant pandas.

Speaking about the motivation behind the trip, Fan said in the video that "after reporting on the mainland for so long, it would make little sense not to visit and see it for myself".

Her trip has caught attention on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, as she was previously labeled as a "pro-green" figure who supported the DPP's political stance and made negative reports about the mainland.

Fan joins a number of Taiwan social media influencers who have visited the mainland for the first time in recent years. Other prominent online influencers, including Chen Chih-han, known as "Guan Zhang", and Chung Ming-hsuan, both of whom have more than 1.3 million YouTube followers, and have also made their first trips to the mainland over the past two years.

Through livestreams and vlogs, these content creators have presented the mainland's actual conditions, leading some viewers to reassess narratives on the island and realize that the reality differs from the image portrayed by the DPP authorities.