"Flowering Exile: An Autobiographical Excursion", written by the modern Chinese female author Dymai Hsiung (also known as Tsai Dymia, 1910-1987) and published in 1952, was the first Chinese female autobiographical novel published in Britain. The narrative recounts the life experiences of a Chinese intellectual family that moved from mainland China to Britain between the 1930s and 1950s. It depicts the challenges faced by emigrants, focusing particularly on how the main characters establish marriages, families, and careers in a new environment. The book was initially written in Chinese by Dymia Hsiung and later translated into English by her husband, Hsiung Shih-I (1902-1991). During the translation process, Hsiung Shih-I significantly enhanced the content, especially intensifying the cultural conflicts between the East and West encountered by the characters abroad.

This paper conducts a comparative analysis of both the English and Chinese versions of Flowering Exile. It first discusses the intersection of “autobiography” and “novel”, highlighting how the writing traits traverse the boundaries between literature and history, as well as between fiction and reality. Secondly, the national imagination and self-representation in this Chinese female author’s autobiographical novels are worthy of in-depth study. I advocate exploring how it resists Orientalist stereotypes of China while catering to the interests of English-speaking readers, thereby reshaping the image of overseas Chinese intellectual families. Finally, this paper discusses the female narrative perspective presented in the work, including rich internal monologues and the switching between the perspectives of two female characters.

This paper focuses on the fox stories in Chinese and Japanese Zhiguai novels, taking Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio written by Pu Songling in the Qing Dynasty and Yasōkidan by Ishikawa Kosai in the Meiji Period of Japan as typical cases. In terms of similarities, the fox spirits in both works generally possess supernatural abilities, can change their forms, cast spells, and also display many human characteristics, such as emotions and desires. Both show the interaction between fox spirits and humans. The image of the fox reflects social reality and the good and evil of human nature. The differences are significant. First of all, the influence of cultural background is the main reason for the difference in the images of fox demons between the two. The fox in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio are often portrayed as complex characters with emotions and moral qualities, influenced by Confucian and Taoist thought, and embodying a human side. In Yasōkidan, fox spirits often present more weird and mysterious characteristics, which is closely related to Japan's unique religious beliefs and cultural traditions. Secondly, in terms of narrative style, Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio mainly revolves around themes such as love and friendship, with twists and turns in the plot and romance; Yasōkidan focuses more on fantasy and horror elements. Finally, in terms of theme and meaning, the fox demon stories in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio often explore human nature, morality and social issues, while Yasōkidan incorporates more thinking about science and superstition in the context of the times. This thematic difference reflects the different cultural attitudes and social backgrounds of the two countries when it comes to supernatural phenomena. Through comparison, we can gain a deeper understanding of the influence of different cultural backgrounds of China and Japan on the creation of supernatural novels, and provide a new perspective for cross-cultural literary research.

The dramatic texts of the Russian "First Wave" diaspora writers in the 20th century continued the aesthetic principles of the Russian Silver Age, focusing on reconstructing identity and ethical relationships within a cross-cultural context. By examining Russian playwrights in France after the October Revolution, it is evident that Russian diaspora drama presents dynamic relationships between diasporic space and ethical construction.

The existential crisis of the Russian emigre community can be understood through three spatial restrictions: physical, social, and psychological. During exile, the adverse living conditions reflected material scarcity and a lack of spatial privacy and security. Employment restrictions and discriminatory policies in host countries further compounded these challenges, relegating them to a state of "second-class citizenship." These experiences generated collective existential anxiety, leading to compensatory psychological mechanisms based on fantasy.

In intercultural spaces, conflicting relationships between Russian emigrants and their own community and other groups created ethical identity dilemmas. Political antagonisms within the émigré community undermined consensus, with texts depicting conflicts between pro-Soviet, anti-Soviet and opportunist factions, revealing internal crises of trust through betrayal among compatriots. In interactions with other ethnic groups, while being marginalized by mainstream society, Russian emigrants simultaneously created new "others," forming a process of "double othering". Nevertheless, the eventual achievement of ethical consensus demonstrates that new ethical spaces that transcend geographical boundaries have the capacity to reconstruct community.

The space of the homeland, constructed through cultural symbols, fragments of memory and imaginations of the future, serves as a crucial bond for the Russian emigre community. Cultural domains formed by culinary practices and festivals maintain ethnic identity, while memory spaces support identity verification through geographical coordinates and multi-sensory experiences. However, in the absence of stability and continuity, these elements have led Russian emigrants to turn towards an imagined future space. Although the Russian image, based on extreme fantasy, was far removed from reality, it provided spiritual comfort. A more modern mode of spatial cognition is embodied by wanderers who embrace fluidity as a philosophy of life, offering alternatives to traditional concepts of home.

Diaspora communities are likely to form cohesive units only through symbolic 'nesting'. The trauma of exile generated spatial aspirations that combined maternal worship with utopian imagination, while the imaginative construction of homeland space shaped the collective consciousness of the diasporic community.