The first Chinese Qu Yuan Poetry Awards and the Dragon Boat Festival poetry reading was held in Yichang city, Central China's Hubei province, on May 29.

Li Ying, an 88-year-old military poet, received the “Poet Laureate” award, and another 20 contemporary poems written by different poets won gold and silver medals. At the same time, the Poetry Institute of China awarded Yichang the title of "Chinese poetry city".

Ma Xuming, deputy secretary of Yichang municipal Party committee, made a speech and said that Yichang, as the birthplace of Qu Yuan, the great patriotic poet, is one of the earliest cradles of poems and folk songs.

Qu Yuan's masterpieces such as "Sorrow after Departure (Li Sao)”, "Asking Heaven (Tian Wen)”, and "The Nine Songs (Jiu Ge)" started a precedent for Chinese romantic poetry, inspiring generations of Chinese to move on.

Today, Yichang, in the name of the Qu Yuan awards, which attracts poets to the ceremony, aims to inherit the spirit of Qu Yuan, to prosper the art of poetry and promote Chinese culture. Li Jingze, a well-known writer, said in his speech that the Chinese Qu Yuan Poetry Awards were set up by the Poetry Institute of China, representing poets from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, overseas poets and poetry lovers.

From this year, the award will be showcased every two years, with the ceremony permanently held in Yichang, the hometown of Qu Yuan. During the event, Zhang Tongwu, honorary chairman of the Poetry Institute of China awarded the “Chinese poetry city” plaque to Wang Yinghua, vice-mayor of Yichang.

The Chinese Qu Yuan Poetry Awards were established by the Poetry Institute of China as the highest-level single poetry award. The first selection received more than 10,000 pieces of works from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, America, Australia, Canada and Japan.

The poetry reading was organized by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department of the Ministry of Culture, the Poetry Institute of China, Hubei provincial department of culture, Hubei provincial Taiwan Affairs Office and Yichang municipal people’s government.

Zheng Chouyu (right),a well-known poet from Taiwan, and Gu Ailing, a poet and professor from Harvard uncover the "Poet Laureate" award. [Provided to China Daily]

Li Ying (right), an 88-year-old military poet, receives the “Poet Laureate” award on May 29.[Provided to China Daily]

Poetry reading performance on the first Chinese Qu Yuan Poetry Awards held in Yichang on May 29.[Provided to China Daily]

The Poetry Institute of China awards Yichang the title of "Chinese poetry city".[Provided to China Daily]

Edited by Brian Salter and Le Qin