Dancers perform at the 2024 Chinese Farmers Poetry Festival. Photo: VCG

Poet Han Shimei Photo: IC

Is this spring? No, not spring.

It's the ripples of time's endless ring,

The earth's awakening - a stirring thing.

In her writing, the melons beneath the vines are "the stars in the cycle of sun and moon, the fruits of dawn and dusk." Recently, the videos of a farmer named Lü Yuxia composing poetry in the fields have gone trending on Chinese social media. 

In the video, she uses her own innovative "rustic poetry" to capture rural life, earning widespread praise from netizens and amassing millions of followers. As one netizen said, her poems "grow from the earth and dissolve into time."

Lü took part in the recently concluded 2025 Chinese Farmers Poetry Festival held in Chizhou, East China's Anhui Province in March. She joined more than 500 farmer poets, inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, teachers in rural area, and other grassroots representatives from across China, all of whom recited their original poetry in a runway-style performance at the event. 

Ruan Desheng, vice chairman of the Chizhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles and one of the organizers of the poetry festival, told the Global Times that the festival was designed to showcase the spirit of modern farmers amid the development of rural revitalization and build Chizhou into a brand representing a "millennium-old city of poetry."

Regarding the rise in popularity of rural poetry, Ruan said that this genre views the world and life through rural lens, offering a poetic expression of countryside living. 

Unwavering conviction

With its clear themes, simple and authentic language, and deep connection to everyday life, rural poetry naturally resonates with people. Additionally, online platforms have played a significant role in amplifying its reach, Ruan said. 

While narrating the touching stories of rural revitalization, farmer poets are pursuing their dreams in the midst of an ordinary life.

The pine tree loosens its robe, wrapping its arms around the mountain's waist, while the moon, snickering, slips into the crevices of the hills. 

These imaginative three lines were penned by Han Shimei, a 54-year-old farmer from Central China's Henan Province. 

For most of her life, Han has shouldered the daily responsibilities of caring for her family and tending to farm work. 

Yet, beyond these mundane chores, she harbors an ambitious dream to become a poet. "Poetry has built a whole new world for me," she told the Global Times.  

Han said that she has been sharing her poetry on social media platforms like Douyin since 2020. 

When she first started out, she didn't consider herself a poet. But with encouragement from netizens and even attention from experts in the literary field, Han grew more confident and devoted herself even more to writing. 

Now, she composes over 300 poems a year.

"I love expressing emotions through abstract poetry. Most of my verses come from observing nature," she said, emphasizing that writing poetry gives her "a sense of existence." 

It may be due to this unchanging passion for literature regardless of one's background that Han, a grassroots creator without formal literary training, has earned widespread support from the Chinese public. 

In 2023, a publishing house released her poetry collection titled The Waves Embrace Me, featuring 158 of her poems. The verses feature reflections on everyday life, musings on love, and metaphors expressing her unwavering conviction as a poet.

"I was simply thrilled at that time; I never imagined some grassroots writer like me could earn such support from society. This encouraged me to share my stories with more people," Han told the Global Times. 

The writer was later invited by UN Women to share her life story. 

"Without poetry, I could only see the world right before my eyes. Writing empowered me to bravely explore a broader world," said Han.

Zhang Hua, one of the farmer poets taking part in the festival in Anhui, told the Global Times that he is happy to see the growing number of farmer poets around him alongside the ever-changing landscape of rural areas.

Emotional depth

"Today's farmers are no longer the same ones traditionally perceived by society. They are educated, passionate, and deeply connected to their cultural roots. Rural life has sparked a strong desire for self-expression, fostering an increasingly rich atmosphere of poetry creation," noted Zhang. 

Zhang said that since joining the local poetry society in 2009, he has met many like-minded farmer poets. 

"Many of our works reflect the optimistic and progressive spirit of rural life, which is closely tied to the growing cultural confidence of the Chinese people."

Speaking about the many AI-generated poetry works being shared on the internet, Zhang said that there is a clear difference between AI-written poems and those created by humans. 

AI-produced works have balanced structures and extensive vocabulary, but they lack emotional depth and feel mechanically assembled. 

However, he does not reject the use of AI as a tool for learning writing techniques. 

Another farmer poet, Zhan Chenglin, who joined the China Writers Association in 2018, told the Global Times that he hopes to express his life insights and philosophical thoughts through poetry, reflecting his connection with nature and society. 

Zhan said that while AI can offer objective commentary, poetry creation is highly subjective, representing the creator's personal life experiences. AI works, being smooth and balanced, lack the emotional depth and human experience that come from a creator's heart.

As Lü said, the most precious spirit of farmers is "to focus on plowing and not worry about the harvest." She said writing is the same. 

"You shouldn't always focus on the result; what's important is to persist in working hard."