Intl youth poetry festival kicks off in Xi'an

The 2025 International Youth Poetry Festival—Special Session for China-Latin American Countries kicked off in Xi’an, capital of Northwest China’s Shaanxi province, on Monday.

The event, themed "Echoes of Civilizations," gathered 37 young Chinese poets and 40 young poets from 15 Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Venezuela, Uruguay, and the Dominican Republic.

In his address at the opening ceremony, Zhang Hongsen, chairman and Party secretary of the China Writers Association, emphasized that despite the vast geographical distance between Latin America and China, their cultures and emotions share a deep connection. He described the festival as a vital platform for strengthening mutual understanding and cultural ties.

Zhang stated that as the world experiences profound change, poetry’s unique power connects nations by preserving traditions, evoking shared memories, and fostering humanistic exchange. He underscored poetry’s role in uniting peoples, reinforcing the festival’s mission of cultural dialogue.

He expressed hope that Latin American poets would engage deeply with Chinese culture, poetry, and modernization, and become inspired to write works that build bridges of spiritual communication between China and Latin America.

Sun Daguang, head of the Shaanxi provincial publicity department, highlighted in his speech that poetry, as a language that transcends national boundaries, serves as a bridge connecting cultures and peoples.

Latin America has a long and rich history, with Mayan, Aztec, and Inca civilizations being shining pearls in the annals of human civilization. Like Chinese poetry, Latin American poetry is a shared spiritual treasure of humanity, Sun said.

Sun called on participating poets to explore Xi’an, the capital of 13 dynasties in ancient China and the starting point of the Silk Road, to seek inspiration for new works that will contribute to deepening the friendship between China and Latin America.

Mexican poet Manuel Baccerra delivered a speech on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean poets. He said that poetry bears witness to everything we experience today, and it is precisely the call of poetry that has brought everyone together here.

Baccerra noted that the moon is a classic imagery in poetry, both in China and throughout the world. Baccerra cited modern Chinese poet Bian Zhilin’s poem Fragment, in which he wrote, “The moon adorns your window bay. You adorn another’s dream,” arguing that the moon connects us all.

“The moon is never the same, for everyone perceives it differently, yet the moon we see today is the very same one that a primordial human, peering out of a cave, gazed upon 30,000 years ago. Regardless of language, culture, or nation, the moon instantly unites all people as brothers and sisters,” he said.

He argued that the work of poets lies in contemplating all things in the world. "I would like to believe, and must believe, that those of us gathered here not only wish to preserve our intact and ever-ready capacity for wonder but will also defend our ability to gaze at the moon," the Mexican poet said.

The opening ceremony also featured dance performances inspired by ancient Chinese poems such as The Moon over the River on a Spring Night by Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Zhang Ruoxu and The Song of the Pipa Player by another Tang poet Bai Juyi, as well as a group of enchanting poetry readings by Chinese, Latin American, and Caribbean poets.

The performance of Flame of the Youth, a theme song composed for the festival, propelled the ceremony to its climax.

The 2025 International Youth Poetry Festival—Special Session for China-Latin American Countries, held in both Shaanxi and Beijing until Sunday, is sponsored by the China Writers Association and the Publicity Department of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee.