Challenge of diaspora dream

Taiwan writer and public intellectual Lung Ying-tai once proposed the concept of a "southern vision" in an attempt to bridge the divides in the politically fragmented Chinese-speaking world.

She asked people in Beijing and Taipei to view the world through the perspectives of Malaysia, Singapore and Australia, countries that are geographically south of China but have a strong link to the mainland.

"Though the Chinese-speaking world has been dissected into isolated pieces by walls of politics, our shared culture can serve as a unifier," Lung wrote.