Autumn tints the forests in layers, and poetic sentiments transcend mountains and seas. On September 19th, 77 Chinese and foreign poets of the "2025 International Youth Poetry Festival (China-Latin America Special Session)" gathered at the Mutianyu Great Wall. Amidst the towering walls, they admired the magnificent scenery of heaven and earth, composed impromptu verses, and launched a cross-hemisphere spiritual dialogue with poetry as the medium.
The Mutianyu Great Wall lies quietly in Huairou District, Beijing. Architectural wonders such as the "Zhengguantai" and "Dajiaolou" embody the craftsmanship of thousands of years. With a vegetation coverage of over 96%, it bursts into a riot of colors in golden autumn, presenting a scroll-like landscape both inside and outside the Great Wall. Known as "Of all the sections of the Great Wall, Mutianyu stands out as the most splendid", it has become a natural sanctuary for Chinese and foreign poets to encounter inspiration.
"Standing on the Great Wall at this moment, joy surges as pure as a child's!" Manuel Becerra, a Mexican poet visiting for the first time, could hardly contain his excitement. He marveled that amidst this vast world, one can better perceive the grandeur of nature and the breadth of life. At this moment, the crenels of Mutianyu seemed to be translating poetry and friendship – Li Ge, a Colombian poet, Zhu Yu, a Chinese poet, and Manuel Becerra, a Mexican poet, posed for a photo side by side, and the camera froze this touching moment of cultural mutual learning.
The Great Wall, like a giant bronze dragon, winds majestically along the back of the Yanshan Mountains into the depths of the clouds. Its jagged bricks and stones have stood firm against wind and rain for thousands of years, like silent warriors in armor guarding the land. Javier Bello, a Chilean poet, expressed deep respect for this massive project: "The Great Wall is not only a strategic miracle, but also a 'symbol of protection' of Chinese civilization." He shouted "I love the Great Wall!" – in Chinese, with the most sincere passion.
Zou Shengnian, a Chinese poet, had a heartfelt exchange with his Latin American poetic friend here, and deeply felt that the Great Wall offered not just fleeting joy, but a profound cultural immersion. Wandering through Mutianyu in the evening, the setting sun dyed the entire section of the Great Wall golden. The distant layers of pine waves and the silhouette of the beacon tower nearby together awakened the voice of epic poetry. Maximiliano Legnani, an Argentine poet, admitted that the Great Wall was a long-cherished destination of his life. "Since receiving the invitation, I have been looking forward to this moment day and night," he said. "Here, I have touched the breath of history and felt the energy of the land – this is the source of epic poetry." He and poets from various countries talked from Homer to Borges, the latter having opened a window for Argentina to understand the East through words. "And today, I have finally stepped into this legend."
This is not only a grand gathering of poetry, but also an embrace of civilizations. On the Great Wall, chants resounded, and the beauty of the times intertwined with the grandeur of mountains and rivers. Chinese and foreign poets took a group photo here and shouted in unison: "He who has climbed the Great Wall is a true hero!"
The Great Wall not only connects territories, but also links hearts; poetry not only writes about individual joys and sorrows, but also reflects the shared emotional landscape of humanity. In this brilliant autumn light, Chinese and Latin American poets recognized each other through verses and merged their poetic hearts, allowing the millennia-old civilization to shine with new brilliance amidst the bricks and stones of Mutianyu.
