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A million poets pushing poetry renaissance in China
Xinhua

Jinan (China), Oct 2 (Xinhua) China is witnessing a boom in the number of poets and their verses, thanks to a revival of Chinese traditional culture and rapid spread of education.

"There are at least one million poets across China," says Sun Yiqing, president of the China Poets Society.

Ancient poems and verses passed down from the Tang and Song Dynasties (618-1279), a golden period in Chinese literary history, have been considered one of the most important cultural heritages.

The revival of traditional culture - including this treasury of ancient poetry - and the rapid changes in modern Chinese society have helped bring about a renaissance of poetry, he said.

The China Poets Society alone boasts a membership of more than 10,000. 

Counting the members of provincial, municipal and county-level poetry societies, the country has more than one million poets, Sun told a seminar.

The country also sees more than 500 poetry publications every year, introducing at least 100,000 new poems and verses annually.

"Many poets are unhappy that the invasion of popular TV shows and commercials is endangering the practice and popularity of poetry.

"Lots of poets are also just playing with words and catering to low public taste, which leads to the collapse of the very soul of poetry," said a poet at the seminar.