China News Service, Shaoxing, January 15 (Reporter Xiang Jing) "The bridge is a tangible building, and the overseas Chinese are an intangible force. Both have the meaning of connecting the two places and continuous exchanges. I hope that the epidemic will be dissipated as soon as possible, and China-Singapore folk cultural exchanges Constantly.” In January, by the Bazi Bridge in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, a New Zealand overseas Chinese in casual clothes once risked walking on the bluestone road, and made a New Year's wish in his familiar "Qiaoxiang".

The star version of Yue Opera "The Butterfly Lovers" was staged in New Zealand.

Photo courtesy of the interviewee

　　Throughout the ages, the bridge has been given a romantic color by the Chinese.

Shaoxing is known as a water town, a bridge town, and a wine town. It is also the "Venice of the East" in the eyes of foreigners.

Because of the river network in the territory, the wise ancestors designed tens of thousands of bridges to connect the two sides, which also prospered this land.

　　Zeng Xian was born and raised here, and he is fluent in English and can answer in the dialect of "earth flavor". According to his introduction, "In the history of Shaoxing, the master culture of'no Shaoxing can not be a government' established the county government and government. The mediation bridge between the people and the people; the "harmony culture" advocated by the philosopher Wang Yangming has long been rooted in the blood of the Chinese nation...It is these cultures in my hometown that have created my characteristics of daring to break and be good at communication."

　　Cultural exchange-in order to let you know me better

　　In 2002, 19-year-old Zeng Xian went to New Zealand to study alone, and later stayed in this hot spot to invest and start a business.

His enthusiasm for fighting abroad has transformed him from an ordinary student to the head of New Zealand's first Chinese real estate sales company.

In August 2019, at the Shaoxing rice wine culture promotion event held in Kyoto, Japan, Xia Lianggen read the congratulatory letter from the mayor of Kyoto.

Photo courtesy of the interviewee

　　"I used to live in Oakland, which is praised as the'City of Thousand Sails', where the water can most arouse my inner hometown feelings." Zeng Xian confided that nostalgia was still in my heart even though I traveled all over the world, so in 2012 the Shaoxing government Under the impetus, he prepared for the establishment of New Zealand Shaoxing Hometown Association to relieve the homesickness of overseas Chinese from Shaoxing.

Today, the association has expanded from 30 to 320 people.

　　The Association of Hometowns is like a door, opening the continuous economic and cultural exchanges between China and New Zealand.

In his first year as the president of the Association, Zeng Xian went abroad with Shaoxing’s unique opera and calligraphy; under the leadership of Zeng Xian, Shaoxing and Taupo City, New Zealand established a friendly exchange relationship in 2014; in 2015, Zeng Xian personally invested , 1,500 square meters of New Zealand Shaoxing Hall was built in the center of Auckland, and nearly 100 performances and exhibitions have been held so far...

　　"The friendship between the nations lies in the friendship between the people. The promotion of cultural exchanges between Chinese and foreign people is to make friends and to make you understand me better." Zeng Xian said affectionately, "In the global village, you and I don't know each other because we live far away. Building a bridge, when you become a friend in my phone book, we will gain more sincere emotions. By understanding me, you will see the beauty of my hometown and discover a more charming China."

　　Xia Lianggen, president of the Shaoxing Association of Japan, also mentioned that overseas Chinese understand China and are familiar with overseas, which has a natural advantage in promoting Sino-foreign exchanges. "Cultural exchanges can promote spiritual communication between people of various countries, reduce misunderstandings and bring tolerance."

　　Chinese and Western Speaking-Build a bridge to the future

　　A good cultural messenger is by no means a "cultural porter."

Zeng Xian knows it well-to let Shaoxing "business card" go to sea, we must "speak Chinese and Western".

　　"Chinese culture is intangible, and foreigners are more interested in sound and color. How to transform is the key." Zeng Xian gave an example. When Shaoxing's Yue Opera "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" appeared on the New Zealand stage, he would explain-- This is "Romeo and Juliet of the East".

Driven by Zeng Xun's liaison, the 2017 "New Zealand Shaoxing Week" was held in New Zealand. The activities included a special Chinese folk orchestral concert, a Shaoxing style photography exhibition, and "Shaoxing Overseas Chinese Businessmen Entering New Zealand" entrepreneurs business matchmaking.

Photo courtesy of Shaoxing Overseas Chinese Federation

　　"Sound has no national boundaries, and art has no level." In his view, culture carries human spirit and emotion, and human pursuit of culture is diversified. "Many foreign friends said to me that Chinese calligraphy is'the art of dancing on paper. ', what impressed them the most was the focus of calligraphy practitioners when they wrote."

　　In Xia Lianggen's view, there are cultural differences between countries, and cultural exchanges must be based on respect. To some extent, it is necessary to speak Chinese and Western.

　　Not long after that, Shaoxing was selected as the "Cultural Capital of East Asia" in 2021. The "business card" is an important brand in the cultural field of China, Japan and South Korea.

As a compatriot connecting home and abroad, Xia Lianggen was excited. "Many Japanese people love Shaoxing rice wine. With this'golden sign', I am going to train a group of Shaoxing rice wine tasters in Japan, and build a relationship between the two wine cultures. Communication bridge."

　　In the history of Shaoxing, known as the "Wanqiao City", tens of thousands of bridges connected people across the bank.

Today, overseas Chinese like Zeng Xian and Xia Lianggen use homesickness as a link to build a bridge of friendship, cooperation, and future in the world.

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