Seminar explores urban poetry and future literature

Poets, critics and scholars exchange ideas at the seminar held on April 26 during the third Wutong Mountain Poetry Festival. Photos from the organizer

A seminar was held on April 26 at Lihu Shuyuan, a cultural space tucked within Litchi Park and the main creative base of Pengcheng Literature Academy during the third Wutong Mountain Poetry Festival. The discussion brought together more than 30 poets, critics, and scholars from across the country to explore key themes including future literature, urban poetry, and the relationship between nature and writing.

Zhang Xuhua, deputy editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Publishing House, described Lihu Shuyuan as a place where Shenzhen’s natural and cultural life blend, aiming to cultivate literary talent in the city and provide fertile ground for future urban literature.

Xie Xiangnan, vice chairman of the Shenzhen Writers’ Association and chairman of the Luohu Writers’ Association, noted that in Shenzhen, nature and the city are not contradictions but coexist harmoniously — offering abundant material for poets. “We hope this will not be just a poetry festival, but a sustained poetic movement,” he said.

The seminar attendees pose for a group photo.

Chen Jun, professor at the School of Arts of Peking University, described Shenzhen as a multidimensional city, likening urban life to a landscape painting unfolding in layers — something poets must capture across the past, present, and future.

An Qi from the Poetry Institute of China observed that Shenzhen poets have a natural advantage in writing about urban life, highlighting migrant worker poetry as a powerful genre that has earned international recognition.

Wu Pie, guest professor at Quanzhou Normal University, quoted a child’s whimsical poem that compares lightning rods to picky eaters, encouraging poets to find poetic connections between everyday objects and urban civilization.

Together, the events reflect a dynamic literary scene in Shenzhen, where poetry, education, and city life continue to nurture one another.