'Spiritual wealth' of poetry

World Poetry Day event celebrates life and the beauty of words

More than 1,000 poetry aficionados from a range of countries and industries got together to enjoy the beauty of words at the first China World Poetry Day Concert in Beijing on March 21.

Themed "The Poem For You", it combined elements from poetry, plays, dances and music, including the Chinese folk music instruments pipa and guzheng

The audience ranged from children only 5 or 6 years old to mature gray-haired fans.

Ambassadors from Canada, Poland, Denmark, Columbia and Malta also shared poems from their home countries with the audience.

Co-organized by the Embassy of Poland and the cultural organization Be My Guest, the event is supported by 20 elite members of industries in China.

The project invites people from different walks of life to read poetry from both China and overseas every day.

Pan Kejie, founder of the initiative, says that since it went online in mid-2013, more than 300 million fans have become listeners, showing that more people are aware of the beauty of poems and their importance in life.

Huang Nubo, a poet and chairman of the Beijing Zhongkun Investment Group, and also a co-founder of The Poem for You, says art should be a spiritual wealth for people and also for a country.

"A country can have little money, but they cannot afford to not have Li Bai and Du Fu (both famous poets in ancient China)," he said at the concert.

chenyingqun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 03/27/2015 page25)