The British Council yesterday launched its Poetry on the Metro initiative in Nanjing, a nationwide activity as part of the UK’s Spirit of Youth campaign. Nanjing is its third stop after Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Beginning on 19 September and running to the end of this year, Poetry on the Metro themed trains are running on the metro systems of Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing and Nanjing. There are also special poetry corners at some stations across the five cities.
Poetry on the Metro is a public-facing program promoting Chinese and British literature and follows on from the success of Poems on the Underground in London and the British Council’s Shakespeare on the Metro campaign in Shanghai of 2016. As one of the key programs in the Spirit of Youth series of activities, it aims to share the best of Chinese and British poetry, bringing knowledge and fun to our daily metro commutes.
Both China and the U.K. have a great wealth and history of literature, which can be utilised to promote bilateral cultural communications as well as active social interactions. The British Council has also partnered with Poetry Island, a self-owned media company, to select and promote 20 Chinese and 20 British poems, highlighting classical, contemporary and international work, with the theme of “youth”. Poets include literary giants such as Shakespeare, Shelley, Li Bai and Xu Zhimo, as well as post-1980s generation of young poets from both countries, including Sarah Howe and Si Rongyun. Poetry Island and Shanghai Translators Association have worked together to translate the selected poems.
Excerpts of these 40 poems are on colourful display throughout metro carriages, on handles and rings and advertisement windows. A QR code enables travellers to view the full texts in Chinese and English, as well as discovering more on-line poetry content.
Speaking with The Nanjinger, British Council Area Director – East China, Mr. Matthew Knowles, said, “It’s crucial to have a deeper understanding of each others cultures…and this is a fascinating prospect…to create a cultural space, take a topic like this to better understand how different cultures are dealing with youth”.
In addition, the British Council has recorded poetry readings by special guests. The videos will be posted regularly on the official UK Now WeChat account, encouraging poets and literature enthusiasts to comment on key poems.
Cortina Butler, Global Literary Director of British Council, commented, “British Council has the honour to cooperate with so many local authorities to launch this program. It showcases a sound tradition of poetry and literary in China and the U.K. and creates an integrated on-line and off-line platform to appreciate literature for millions of passengers and more on-line readers. We’re quite happy that some of the contemporary poets are able to make it to the launching ceremony. And I hope this activity can promote communication between Chinese and British poets, and strengthen cultural exchanges between China and the U.K.”
