Poetry festival will honor Haizi

Delingha is located in the northeast Qaidam Basin on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Photo provided to China Daily

A poetry festival to commemorate the Chinese romantic poet Haizi will be held on July 25 in Delingha, capital of Haixi prefecture, Qinghai.

Located in the northeast Qaidam Basin on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Delingha boasts a diversified landscape, including vast grassland, lakes and glaciers.

Delingha, which means "the golden city" in Mongolian, has a population of 70,000 with 19 ethnic groups, including Mongolian, Tibetan and Salar.

The remote and beautiful place deeply fascinated Haizi, who longed for a spiritual paradise. 

In 1988, Haizi traveled to Delingha and wrote the poem Sister, Tonight I am in Delingha, a sentimental work that reflected the poet's loneliness on a dark night.     

Haizi, who committed suicide in 1989 at the age of 25, had a strong influence on popular Chinese literature, especially with his most famous poem, Facing the Sea, with Spring Blossoms.

To commemorate Haizi, a bust made of jade from Kunlun Mountain will be unveiled beside Bayin River during the festival, along with 18 stone slabs of different shapes engraved with his poems.

A memorial hall encompassing 1,300 square meters will open to exhibit his legacy, including his works and personal belongings.

The poetry festival will assemble contemporary Chinese poets and critics for seminars on Haizi and other Chinese poets. A poetry contest will be held for entrants from all over the country.

Following the festival, Delingha will stage the opening ceremony of the Fifth Qaidam Rally Games on August 6. Sports utility vehicles and motorcycles will join the 10-day rally to drive through the boundless desert of Qaidam Basin.