Poetry brings nations together under a shared moon and sky

UNITED NATIONS — The 2025 "Mid-Autumn Day in Poetry" celebration lit up a night at the United Nations Headquarters with the spirit of reunion, harmony and cultural exchange.

Centered on the shared symbolism of the moon, the Oct 13 event, hosted by the China National Tourist Office in New York, held a poetry and music gala to bridge East and West, highlighting the Mid-Autumn Festival's universal themes of family, peace and gratitude.

New York City Council member Christopher Marte opened the evening with a bilingual recitation of Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Li Bai's Quiet Night Thoughts, accompanied by hulusi (cucurbit flute) music titled Bamboo in the Moonlight.

American and Chinese poets and artists followed with renditions of Thinking of My Distant Loved Ones on a Moonlit Night by Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Jiuling, Spring River in the Flower Moon Night by Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Ruoxu, and Water Melody — When Will the Bright Moon Appear by Song Dynasty (960-1279) poet Su Shi.

New York poets Kirk Larsen and Alan Semerdjian presented Nearing Mid-Autumn Harvest, while Jeff Crosby, an American artist long based in China's Yunnan province, staged an expressive Mandarin performance of Water Melody.

Representing the UN Department of Global Communications, Peter Dawkins said the event "reminds us that though nations may be far apart, we share one sky and one moon". Poetry and the arts carry the power to unite hearts beyond language, reflecting the very spirit of peace and understanding for which the United Nations stands, he added.

Co-organized by the Sino-American Culture and Arts Foundation, the event served as part of a Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism's global initiative, taking poetry as a timeless bridge of friendship across cultures.

Xinhua