International Festival of Young Poetry 2025

The  Festival of Young Poetry 2025 - Special Session of Young Chinese, Latin American and Caribbean Poets kicked off in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Sunday. An event host delegate told the Global Times that the activity is expected to carry on the close conversation between the Maya civilization and Chinese civilization, promoting mutual learning between Chinese and Latin American civilizations. Young poets from Latin America and the Caribbean can look forward to activities and interactions about diverse civilizations with their Chinese peers. 

This year's Festival of Young Poetry is hosting 40 poets from 15 Latin American countries. A total of 37 Chinese poets from 20 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions will accompany these poets on a trip to Xi'an and Shangluo city in Shaanxi and Beijing. 

Rodrigo Escobar Vanegas, a poet from Colombia, told the Global Times that he has been looking forward to this event for a long time. Having settled down in Beijing, Vanegas has lived in China since 2006 and also has a Chinese name: Li Ge. Over the past almost two decades, Vanegas has become a visual artist, filmmaker and poet. His poems have brought together diverse cultural ­experiences to showcase a unique cross-cultural perspective. 

"Although I have participated in many international poetry festivals in China, I find this year's festival is very special in that the Chinese poets and their counterparts from Latin American and Caribbean [countries and] regions will communicate directly," said Escobar.

Escobar said that he can foresee even closer communication between Chinese and Latin American cultures as culture and poetry are important channels for human beings to communicate.

Juan Manuel Becerra Javiern, a Mexican poet, told the Global Times that this is his first trip to China and that he looks forward to exploring cultural heritage sites with his Chinese peers. 

"I have really high expectations for this festival, because we have similar cultures and at the same time we are really different. I hope this event will be welcoming to diverse civilizations," said Javiern. 

"I would like to know everything about this culture. I'd like to learn about the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Wall," he said. 

Javiern looks forward to the session during which his books will be donated to Chinese readers. 

"I'd like to see more translated works between our countries," he added. 

During the festival, poets will visit attractions such as the Mausoleum of Qinshihuang, the first emperor of a united China. They will also participate in poetry symposiums and the Beihai Poetry Session. 

Latin American poetry has a glorious history and features characteristics like magical realism and strong lyricism. 

Li Shaojun, editor-in-chief of Poetry Periodical, told the Global Times, "With frequent poetry exchanges between China and Latin America, this festival aims to promote dialogue among civilizations and the innovative integration of cultures.

As a literary form that easily evokes human empathy, poetry is highly consistent with the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Li said that communication between Chinese and Latin American poets has lasted for generations. 

"Pablo Neruda, a Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet, was featured in Poetry Periodical in 1957 in the first edition. Ai Qing, a Chinese poet, wrote a poem for Pablo Neruda," Li elaborated. 

Poetry collections by Li Bai and Du Fu have been published in Mexico, Spain and Argentina, while Neruda had visited China three times, he introduced.