Eight years ago, Syrian poet Adonis, who wrote My Loneliness Is a Garden, wandered through the streets of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, and caught the scent of osmanthus blossoms.
He described the fragrance as “sublime and precious”. Moved by the encounter, he planted an osmanthus tree and later published Osmanthus, a long poem composed of 50 independent pieces inspired by China.
He wrote, “In this place of singular character, a tree of osmanthus was planted in my name. And I began to discover within myself a continent I had never known.”
On the evening of May 9, the 96-year-old poet appeared by video at the opening ceremony of the 2026 International Youth Poetry Festival (China-Arab States Session) in Guangzhou, reciting his verses.
The festival, held across Guangdong province and Beijing for 10 days, brought together more than 40 young poets from over 10 Arab countries alongside Chinese writers to share poetry and exchange ideas.
At the ceremony, Egyptian poet Yahya Wagdi reflected on poetry’s elusive nature. It is difficult, he said, to define poetry itself; yet when a line written in one language moves a reader on the opposite side of the world, “that shared emotion is poetry.”
In a keynote address, Zhang Hongsen, chairman of the China Writers Association, noted that Chinese and Arab poetry traditions, though separated by geography and language, share a reliance on concise expression, philosophical depth, and emotional sincerity — qualities that have long served as the spiritual roots of their respective civilizations.
The opening ceremony also featured readings of well-known Chinese and Arabic poems, as well as acrobatics, Cantonese Opera, and musical performances rooted in Guangzhou’s local traditions.
For many participants, the gathering marked their first encounter with China. Sudanese poet Manahil Fathi, visiting China for the first time, spoke of her surprise and excitement at hearing her work read aloud before a Chinese audience. The experience, she said, revealed the possibility of mutual understanding through poetry and cultural exchange.
Egyptian poet Maha Ghanem echoed the sentiment, observing that despite national differences, poets across countries share similar dreams and concerns.
“Poetry allows people to reach deeper layers of the soul and offers a language through which the world might return to peace,” she added.
Launched in 2024 by the China Writers Association, the International Youth Poetry Festival has evolved into a growing platform for global literary dialogue.