On July 4, the launch ceremony of the “Qu Yuan’s Roaming and Chanting: Source of Poetry – 2026 Hunan·Huaihua Qu Yuan Patriotic and Nostalgic Poetry Culture Promotion Season” and the poetry recital themed “ The Poetics of Time” kicked off in Xupu, Hunan Province. Liu He, an expert in energy, mining, and engineering management and a professor at the Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development (RIPED) of China National Petroleum Corporation; Li Shaojun, editor-in-chief of poetry magazine; and Wang Shan, president of the Poetry Society of China, attended the ceremony. He Zunqing, deputy secretary of the CPC Huaihua Municipal Committee and secretary of its Political and Legal Affairs Commission, addressed the ceremony.
Attending the event were Hu Geping, first-level inspector of the Publicity Department of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee; Wang Yuewen, honorary chairman of the Hunan Provincial Writers Association; Zeng Fanhua, honorary president of the China Newspaper Supplement Research Association and dean of the Ai Qing Academy of Literature; Xie Zongyu, member of the Party Leadership Group and vice chairman of the Hunan Provincial Writers Association; Yang Huasen, deputy secretary of CPC Beichen Group Commission; Fang Ming, president of the China Qu Yuan Society and professor at Beijing Language and Culture University; Mao Qing, honorary president of the China Qu Yuan Society and a renowned scholar of Chu Ci (the poetry of the Chu region); and Hu Chen, member of the standing committee of the CPC Huaihua Municipal Committee and head of the Huaihua Municipal Publicity Department.
He Zunqing extended a warm welcome and heartfelt gratitude to all the distinguished guests attending the event. In his address, he noted that Huaihua, an important cradle of Chu Ci, is committed to the principle of “promoting tourism through culture and highlighting culture through tourism” by building platforms such as the poetry culture promotion season, meticulously crafting the cultural tourism IP of “Qu Yuan’s Roaming and Chanting: Source of Poetry”, delving deeply into the spiritual core of Qu Yuan’s relentless pursuit and endeavor, and transforming the millennia-old cultural heritage into a powerful driving force for high-quality development.
The ceremony began with guests striking drums together to mark the official opening of the promotion season. A poetry recital ensued, integrating singing, dancing, poetic theatre, and scenario-based chants, offering a retrospective look at the Chu Ci canon while heralding fresh narratives of revival. On site, numerous experts and scholars donated their research outcomes on Qu Yuan’s heritage, original verses, and photographic portfolios to the event.
The event also features a range of special activities, including field trips along the route of Qu Yuan’s roaming and chanting, scholarly gatherings at academies, and cloud-based poetry salons, all of which aimed at bringing poetry and literary arts to the villages and countrysides.
On the same afternoon, the flag-presentation ceremony for the initiative titled “The Road of Quest: A Chanting Record of Qu Yuan’s Poetry 2027” took place in Xupu. The flag was conferred by Fang Ming, president of the China Qu Yuan Society, and accepted by Ma Shangchao, president of the Zigui Qu Yuan Society of Hubei, symbolizing a practical joint endeavor to forge a research community dedicated to Qu Yuan’s cultural heritage.
(Translated by Yang Sigui)