(Source: ezhejiang.gov.cn)
Editor's note: East China's Zhejiang province is renowned for its large international population. Aloft on the wings of China's reform and opening-up policy, a group of Zhejiang people have gone abroad to make a living since the 1970s. As this year marks the 40th anniversary of the policy, the Zhejiang website (www.ezhejiang.gov.cn) is launching a series of stories about overseas Chinese who are originally from Zhejiang, as well as those who are active in the province's development. Stories courtesy of Zhejiang Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese and Zheshang Magazine
Zeng Xian strives to bring Chinese culture to New Zealand. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]
According to many of Zeng Xian's acquaintances, the Zhejiang businessman's story is "quite inspiring".
Born in 1987 in Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province, Zeng went to study in New Zealand in 2003. After graduating from Massey University, Zeng worked at Harcourts Real Estate for three years.
He became the company's top real estate broker in the first year and started preparing to set up his own real estate company. In 2010, Zeng founded the New Zealand Lijie Group, focusing on the importing and exporting business and real estate development.
"Although I now live in New Zealand, I'm always concerned about the motherland," Zeng said. In 2012, the Shaoxing Association in New Zealand was founded and Zeng was elected its president. "For overseas Chinese, the association is like their hometown, making them feel closer to the homeland."
He established a 1,500-square-meter exhibition hall in the downtown area of New Zealand's largest city, Auckland, in 2015. It's open to visitors for free, as Zeng hopes more people can learn about Chinese culture. According to him, the venue has hosted over 100 exhibitions themed around Chinese culture over the past few years.
In May 2015, the Shaoxing University and the University of Auckland cooperated to establish a calligraphy institute, which was the first time a Chinese university has set up such an institute overseas. The lectures in the institute gained great popularity among local residents.
The exhibition hall set up by Zeng has been serving as a base for calligraphy training. Shaoxing University sends teachers and students every three months to Auckland to teach calligraphy lessons in the hall.
The all-star Yueju Opera performance of Butterfly Lovers is staged in Auckland, New Zealand on March 25. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]
Zeng is also a fan of the Yueju Opera. Early this year, he helped to bring the all-star Yueju Opera performance of Butterfly Lovers to Auckland. The two successive shows in March attracted approximately 1,500 spectators. The touching plots and the soft dialect of Jiangnan (a region south of Yangtze River) aroused the overseas Chinese people's strong emotions for their homeland.
With the frequent promotion of Chinese traditional arts like calligraphy and opera, New Zealand people's understanding of China has been improving over the past years.
"I've been promoting China and spreading the voice of China in New Zealand for 15 years," said Zeng, "I will bring the work to a new, higher level over the next 15 years."
