A delegation of Taiwan's main opposition party visiting mainland China has paid tribute to a group of Chinese revolutionaries.

Chiang Pin-kung, the vice chairman of the Nationalist Party, laid a wreath Tuesday at a shrine in the southern city of Guangzhou honoring 72 revolutionaries killed in the effort to overthrow China's last imperial dynasty in 1911.

The visit by the Nationalist Party delegation comes days after a mass protest was held in Taiwan against Beijing's new anti-secession law, which authorizes the use of force if Taiwan declares its independence from the mainland.

Official Chinese media have hailed the delegation's visit as a step toward easing tensions between the mainland and Taiwan.

The Nationalists ruled mainland China until 1949, when they lost a civil war to Mao Zedong's communist forces.

Some information for this report provided by AP, Reuters and AFP.