Hung Hsiu-chu, the leader of the opposition Kuomintang in Taiwan, has daunting pressures on her back while visiting the mainland.

Back home, her party, while struggling to survive merciless attacks by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, remains divided, not only over its strategy for survival, but even over her ongoing trip.

The KMT caucus in the Taiwan legislature has openly expressed doubts about the intentions behind her trip. Some KMT members voiced worries she would mention "reunification" to woo Beijing and consolidate her standing in the upcoming KMT leadership election in 2017.