On the afternoon of June 15, as part of the activities for "cultural capital of east Asia", the 2016 China-Japan-Korea Xu Fu Culture Seminar was held in Xiangshan County. With the theme of "Xu Fu's eastward journey and the east Asian culture", over 100 experts specialized in Xu Fu culture research from the three countries had heated discussions on such topics as "Xu Fu's spirits and east Asian values", "contemporary value of the cultural resources of Xu Fu's eastward journey" and "Xu Fu culture and marine culture in Xiangshan". Reportedly, the seminar will last for three days. 

The seminar received about 80 academic papers on the Xu Fu culture research, covering such fields as the diplomatic history, history of seafaring, ship-building history, history of science and technology, archeological findings, folklores, folk activities, as well as the contemporary and future function and value of Xu Fu Culture in expanding international communication and developing tourist economy.

In recent years, the researcher team has been growing with the establishment of the research societies for Xu Fu culture in China, Japan and South Korea. Various commemorative activities and seminars have been carried out, and a number of academic books have been published. In the scholars' eyes, Xu Fu's eastward journey has become an epitome of the spread of the ancient Chinese culture since the Qin Dynasty, a symbol of economic and cultural communication between China, Japan and South Korea, and the ties of friendship of the East Asian people.