The exhibition of Chinese Contemporary prints was held at King’s College Chapel, Cambridge on August 9th as part of the Cambridge Xu Zhimo Poetry and Art Festival 2019. Photo: Sun Wei/GT

The Fifth Cambridge Xu Zhimo Festival of Poetry and Arts was held in King's College, Cambridge on August 9th.

Commemorating the Chinese poet Xu Zhimo (1897-1931), who was an associate member of King's College for 18 months in 1921-22, the theme of this year's festival of poetry, art and music from China and the West is forests - wood, groves and individual trees. 

Alan Macfarlane, emeritus professor of Anthropological Science and a Life Fellow at King's College, told the Global Times that forests are central to poetry, and the forest theme is particularly appropriate since Xu’s poems often refer to trees, and his commemorative stone at King’s is now backed by a yin-yang-themed Chinese garden. Unveiled at last year’s festival, the garden contains many plants and trees from Xu’s hometown of Haining in Southeast China’s Zhejiang Province.

China has always been known as one of the greatest reservoirs of trees and plants and China's diversity is echoed along the Backs area in Cambridge, not only in Xu's garden but in the stately trees which line the river Cam and the College gardens. "As we face ecological disaster, it is good to be reminded of this diversity, and that most of our ecological meltdown could be averted by re-foresting the world," said Macfarlane.

Xu Zhimo's poem "Second Farewell to Cambridge" is still read by millions of schoolchildren across China, and his life and work was central to the first great opening-up of China to Western artistic and literary influences during the 1920s and 1930s. Xu's poem about Cambridge has a special place in modern Chinese imagination and Cambridge has thus become one of the most popular places to visit for Chinese tourists.

Apart from poetry readings, art forums and choral performances, several art exhibitions were held at King’s College Cambridge, including The Power of Practice – The 9th Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Prints, A Journey Eastwards Reflections On Chinese Ink and Watercolour Paintings Ann Massing Solo Exhibition, Art in Response to Nature – Jean Bacon Solo Exhibition, Forest of Yunnan – Ke Tongzhi Solo Exhibition, Forest – MUYE Studio Group Exhibition.

"This is the year when we meet for international understanding in the context of a great deal of political misunderstanding and tension, particularly between the US and China, and other events. Chinese people should know that there are many people in the West who love China and who believe that it has a great future," Macfarlane said, adding that Chinese people "shouldn't be worried by temporary setbacks and aggressiveness from the West. They should just go on in their calm, peaceful and sensible way."

Founded in 2015, the Cambridge Xu Zhimo Poetry and Art Festival has been hosted every year since then. The festival brings together some of the world's most famous poets and artists at King's College and offers a unique opportunity for poets, artists, and scholars from Britain and China to congregate and share ideas and experiences.