Chongqing - The 2026 World Great Rivers Poetry Festival & the 10th Baidicheng International Poetry Festival opened in Chongqing on September 14, 2026, bringing together about 120 poets and writers from nearly 20 countries across major river basins including the Nile, the Mississippi, and the Thames, alongside Chinese writers and poets from various ethnic groups.

The 2026 World Great Rivers Poetry Festival & the 10th Baidicheng International Poetry Festival opened in Chongqing on September 14, 2026.(Photo/The Organizer)

The opening ceremony featured multilingual poetry recitals, with participants including winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, the Attila József Prize, and the Montreal International Poetry Prize. The program blended poetry with dance, vocal performance, and traditional folk art. A highlight came when about 20 guest representatives from countries along major river basins recited together two classical Chinese poems, "Bu Suan Zi: I Live at the Head of the Yangtze" and "Early Departure from Baidicheng", drawing enthusiastic response from the audience.

The 2026 World Great Rivers Poetry Festival & the 10th Baidicheng International Poetry Festival opened in Chongqing on September 14, 2026.(Photo/The Organizer) 

Chongqing, a national historical and cultural city, has a poetic tradition that runs deep. As an old saying goes, "All poets enter Shu; upon reaching the Three Gorges, poetry is inevitable." In recent years, the municipality has advanced the construction of the Yangtze River National Cultural Park (Chongqing Section) and the Three Gorges National Archaeological Site Park, distilling 28 cultural themes and selecting 69 cultural symbols along the Chongqing section of the Yangtze, laying a solid foundation for the festival.

The 2026 World Great Rivers Poetry Festival & the 10th Baidicheng International Poetry Festival opened in Chongqing on September 14, 2026.(Photo/The Organizer) 

"The entire Yangtze River civilization has brought inspiration not only to me, but I believe to many people," said Mingdi, Chinese American Bilingual Poet and Translator, "The cradles of world civilizations lie among great rivers and mountains. Such themes easily resonate with and promote mutual understanding among people from different cultural backgrounds."

The 2026 World Great Rivers Poetry Festival & the 10th Baidicheng International Poetry Festival opened in Chongqing on September 14, 2026.(Photo/The Organizer)

Gregory Pardlo, a U.S. poet and winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, said: "Poetry, like a river, resists containment. The songs composed along the banks of the Yangtze centuries ago, the verses of Li Bai or Du Fu, did not remain inland. They moved downstream, boarded ships, crossed oceans, and found new life in the lexicons of writers along the Hudson and across the Arabian Gulf." He added that water reminds us that culture is fluid, always borrowing and always bound to its sources.

Gregory Pardlo, a U.S. poet and winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. (Photo/The Organizer)

According to organizers, this year's Baidicheng International Poetry Festival formed for the first time a structure of "opening in the central urban area and the main venue in Fengjie," jointly launched with the World Great Rivers Poetry Festival. The move is expected to elevate the poetry festival from a local event to an international gathering.

The 2026 World Great Rivers Poetry Festival & the 10th Baidicheng International Poetry Festival brings together about 120 poets and writers from nearly 20 countries.(Photo/The Organizer)

Over the following six days, Chinese and international poets will travel down the Yangtze, visiting revolutionary heritage sites and the ancient town of Ciqikou in Shapingba; the Opening Port Heritage Park and Longmenhao Old Street in Nan'an; Shibaozhai in Zhongxian; Zhangfei Temple and Panshi City in Yunyang; and Baidicheng and the Summit of the Three Gorges in Fengjie. Along the way, they will draw creative inspiration from the river's cultural lineage, record the spirit of the great river in poetry, and contribute literary strength to building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Qutang Gorge in Fengjie County (Photo/Fengjie County)