A unique poetry meeting held at Xiangmi Park

A poster of the ninth Lishan Poetry Meeting held at Xiangmi Park on Jan. 9-10. Photos courtesy of the event organizer

Several spots in Xiangmi Park, Futian District, were adorned with handwritten poems on Jan. 9 and 10 as the ninth Lishan Poetry Meeting took place.

The two-day event included a field study, a writing project, an awards ceremony, a seminar, and a poetry reading, attracting over 300 poets, authors, translators, and critics. Award-winning poems, along with creations by children aged 3 to 17, were displayed on white T-shirts and paper hung from trees, a footbridge, and a boardwalk.

The poetry meeting attendees walk on a boardwalk adorned with poems at Xiangmi Park. 

Poems written on white T-shirts are hung from trees at Xiangmi Park on Jan. 9-10.

The annual Lishan Poetry Meeting was initiated in 2016 by poet, novelist, art critic, and curator Zhou Sese in Lishan Village, situated along the Xiangjiang River in Hunan Province. With a global perspective and an emphasis on poetry field studies, the meeting has gained recognition both domestically and internationally.

During the awards ceremony, Shenzhen poet Xie Xiangnan received the Poet Award at the ninth Lishan Poetry Awards, while Colombian poet and author José Luis Díaz-Granados was honored with the Foreign Poet Award at the ninth Culture Warren Awards, among several other winners.

A child reads a poem at Xiangmi Park.

Colombian poet and author José Luis Díaz-Granados delivers his speech in a video during the ninth Lishan Poetry Meeting.

In a video speech, Díaz-Granados expressed his fondness for Chinese poetry, having been inspired by classic Chinese poems translated by Latin American poets. He noted that Chinese culture provides him with spiritual comfort and he was honored to receive the Culture Warren Award, named after esteemed poet Robert Penn Warren. 

“I’m dedicating my whole life to sincerely and fearlessly exploring the most beautiful aspects of humanity — art. To be specific, that encompasses literary creation and poetry filled with mystery, passion, and inspiration,” he said.

Shenzhen poet Xie Xiangnan reads his poems in front of Zhou Yiwen’s art installation at Xiangmi Park. 

Poet Wang Zhixian from Dongguan reads her poem under litchi trees in Xiangmi Park.

Xie also reflected on how his poetry began during travels and wanderings in his youth, driven by his pursuit of literature. He highlighted the field studies and anthropological approach adopted by the Lishan Poetry Meeting as a valuable practice for poetry. Other Chinese poets concurred that great writing emerges from the realities of the world.

Attending poets read their works before art installations and children’s paintings, under litchi trees, or along the boardwalk and footbridge in the park. A visitor praised the event for hosting poetry readings in the park and expressed his hope to encounter new poems each week.