In 2013 I submitted a piece for the Inaugural Global Chinese Poetry Competition. In November 2014 I was invited to travel to Guangzhou where I was honoured for my submission by receiving the Prestigious Merit Award for Global Chinese Poetry. As the sole New Zealand award winner, I drew the attention of the international Chinese literary community to the works being published here in the South Pacific. The work, entitled “A Dream of Red Flowers”, was a cross-cultural piece, based on the experience of the Chinese gold miners who came to New Zealand from Guangdong in the 1800s. In the piece, the link that bound the two locations was the red of the Bombax Ceiba flower and the red of the Pohutukawa blossom. As an expatriot Chinese living in a new land, I see my role as a literary commentator as providing an important link between the two cultures. While holding fast to my roots, I also use my literary skills to comment on and embrace my New Zealand culture. Through my writings, I hope to inspire young Chinese New Zealanders to take advantage of the cultural and literary opportunities their dual culture provides them with.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 08:53:17 +0000
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