Brussels' tiny Schumann Square, around which European Union institutions and embassies are nestled, may not be as famous as Beijing's Tiananmen Square, New York City's Times Square or Moscow's Red Square. But it has started drawing Chinese tourists, many of whom choose novel ways to reach there.

Several days ago, I happened to meet some kindergarten and primary school students and their mothers in the square. One of them shouted: "Look, a vehicle from China!"

What he seemed excited about was a "recreational" vehicle passing by slowly. In the vehicle were three painters from China, who were headed to Paris on the next leg of their cultural-exchange journey after having met with their Belgian peers.