Sea routes between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan have transported a record number of passengers during the Spring Festival holidays, according to local entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities.

The three sea routes of Xiamen-Jinmen, Mawei-Mazu and Quanzhou-Jinmen have transported a total number of 23,439 passengers during the week-long holiday.

The Quanzhou-Jinmen route, which was opened in June last year, saw about 1,456 passengers, including 1,262 Taiwan passengers and 194 from the mainland, according to statistics from the Quanzhou Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.

The other two routes, both opened in 2001, have seen record numbers of passengers.

Between Feb. 19 and Feb. 24, 19,693 passengers made round trip via the Xiamen-Jinmen routes during the festival, up 37 percent from the previous year, according to Xiamen Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau on Sunday.

On Saturday, 3,538 passengers traveled via the Xiamen-Jinmen route, said the bureau.

The Mawei-Mazu sea route has transported 2,290 passengers during the period, up 109 percent from the previous year, according to Fuzhou Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau on Sunday.

The direct shipping routes have become so-called golden traffic lines between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. As of 2006, 668,000 passengers had been transported via the three sea routes.