—Investigating the meaning of life, assessing common values, and speaking out on behalf of humankind.

This book is a work in three sections. The first, centered on Taiwanese culture, covers literature, music, and politics, using poetry to shed light on figures and events from modern history. The second explores perspectives on life and death, the functions of the state, and the positive role of poets during the COVID-19 pandemic, investigating the meaning of life, assessing common values, and speaking out on behalf of humankind. The third highlights “identity” as an issue all drifters must face sooner or later, and explores how poets in Hong Kong and Taiwan have walked their own paths to self-identification. Reflecting on Hong Kong’s transfiguration in recent years and considering how memories and customs indelibly influence each generation, diasporic communities continue to uniquely embellish the dictionaries of their mother tongue.