The "Poetry connects the world" global celebration of classical Chinese poetry has recently concluded at Nanjing Normal University in East China's Jiangsu province.

The gathering for mangzhong (Grain in Ear)— the ninth solar term of the year — was jointly hosted by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing University and Nanjing University of the Arts. More than 400 international students attended the event.

The celebration began with an immersive garden poetry session. The closing ceremony, held on Friday, was structured around four themes: poetry spanning thousands of miles, poetry gathering in Nanjing, poetry in the present and poetry for the future. Performances included musical renditions of the Classic of Poetry and recitations of famous verses about Nanjing written by Li Bai, Liu Yuxi and Du Mu.

Renowned scholar and Nanjing Normal University professor Li Bo held a dialogue with international students on the contemporary relevance of classical Chinese poetry.

Since its launch in Beijing on Apr 20, the event series has hosted in-person poetry gatherings in countries including Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Russia. A global video competition drew more than 700 entries from 93 countries, while a social media challenge garnered more than 51 million views.