Global couplet initiative showcases Xi'an's cultural heritage

Twenty-four pairs of giant handwritten Spring Festival couplets were unveiled across 16 gates in Xi'an, Shaanxi province on Wednesday, adding a blend of tradition and festivity to the city's celebration of the upcoming Chinese New Year.

This year's Xi'an City Wall Spring Festival couplet initiative was jointly organized by cultural institutions in nine historic Chinese cities, including Xi'an, Kaifeng and Guangzhou, as well as the Cheng Ho Cultural Museum in Melaka, Malaysia. It aims to build Chinese City Walls into an international cultural brand and promote Chinese traditions globally.

The initiative highlights the cultural heritage of Spring Festival, which was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2024.

The global call for couplets, which ran from Oct 21 to Nov 21, 2024, received over 12,000 submissions. After three rounds of review by panel experts from the Yinglian Society of China, 24 exceptional pairs were selected from 53 outstanding works across 10 cities.

"The couplets on Xi'an's gate showcase the beauty of Chinese couplets and culture," said Xu Xiyan, secretary general of the Xi'an Yinglian Association. "We hope to share the essence of Spring Festival with the world, inviting everyone to understand China through this unique tradition."

Zhang Binli, a couplet writer and award-winning contributor, shared his creative journey: "I've been writing couplets for Xi'an gates for over 10 years. My couplets focus on Xi'an as a national cultural and historical hub, highlighting its past and present."

Since its inception in 2006, the Xi'an City Wall Spring Festival couplet initiative has grown into an annual tradition. "These grand couplets hanging over the city gates symbolize the continuity of China's rich cultural heritage," said Zhu Yuan, head of the Xi'an City Wall Cultural and Tourism Center.

Looking ahead, Xi'an plans to inherit the Chinese cultural legacy and develop it in an innovative manner, Zhu said.

Guo Yanqi contributed to this story.