Suzhou joined the global community through the “World Poetry Day Concert 2021” last Saturday night. At the event’s sub-venue in Shantang, a voluntary communicator of Jiangnan culture read poems for her audiences across the world via a microphone-connected cellphone on a pleasure boat on the Shantang River.
Founded by UNESCO, the World Poetry Day is celebrated annually on March 21. People from all over the world and all walks of life were invited to read poems together in an exchange and sharing session on this day in the past years.
Themed on “connection and restoration”, this year’s concert was broadcast live online. Distinguished guests including UN officials, famous performers, artists and poets from home and abroad joined in the event by means of video connection.
As the sole connection point in Jiangsu province, the sub-venue in Suzhou’s Shantang provided a good opportunity for the city to communicate the culture of Jiangnan to the world.
Shantang Street has a reputation as “a living thousand-year-old street”. The Shantang River (or Shantang Canal) along the street was constructed by the order of Bai Juyi, a noted poet and the then prefectural governor of Suzhou in Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 AD). As a scenic and time-honored part of the Grand Canal, the Shantang River has witnessed Suzhou’s thousand-year history and nurtured its culture unique.
cr: Li Xiaoming
The poem Feng Ru Song (Wind Throng Pines) by Lu Qiuke captures the life scenes of the residents in ancient Shantang area: every house was ornamented with red lanterns and there were various shops along the street.
The year 2021 marks the 7th anniversary of the “Read Poems for You” World Poetry Day celebration. Thanks to new forms of communication, this annual poetry-themed event has brought poetry closer to more and more people.
Suzhou will also take innovative approaches to advance the brand construction of Jiangnan Culture and make it better known by the rest of the world.
