In the cultural symposium “Drifting Shores”, five writers from China, India, Zimbabwe and Mauritius conducted their in-depth discussion concerning drifting experience and complicated feelings for their motherland of people with different nationalities. Some read his or her own works and others introduced their countries’ information. As Zeng comes from Fujian, a historical starting point of Naval Silk Road in connection with Asia, Africa and Europe and well-known home town of overseas Chinese, his research is about Chinese immigration history and he once created TV drama of similar theme. Beginning with Naval Silk Road, he talked about immigration history of Fujian Province and new change in China’s drifting literature. According to Zeng, with strong power of Chinese culture, wherever a Chinese author is drifted, he or she will attach importance to his or her own cultural identity. The Chinese character in the new generation of Chinese writers’ works bears a more significant meaning in global circumstance. The last part of this symposium is Q&A interaction with audiences, which is collision of thoughts and integration of cultures where readers were enabled to gain a better knowledge of drifting literature of all the countries, especially China.

As a key cultural event in Mauritius, this international book fair witnessed quantities of readers, especially endless stream of pupils organized by schools and kids guided by their parents. Prime Ministers and other ministers attended the opening ceremony, conducted inspection around the book fair and met with participants from all the countries. Such a venue was indeed a good platform to promote Chinese culture. Audiences were mostly Indian and Arabian origins, Creole people and the white, and some Chinese origins occasionally. In our opinion, cultural exchange mainly serves the two functions: one is to closely unite overseas Chinese in the cultural tie, and the other is to convey Chinese cultural information to different races in the varied countries so as to better their understanding of China. Just take calligraphy teaching as example, though the venue is as small as a bookstand and audience could come and go at their will, kids and adults of varied races would stop for a while to watch He Jialin’s writing Chinese characters. Then many of them would have a try, which was just the direct way of cultural dissemination. The most important part of cultural conveyance is attraction, the very basis for all kinds of learning. Many foreigners just feel about Chinese culture by means of calligraphy. We are convinced that their interest in Chinese calligraphy will bring their focus on Chinese culture and China as well.