A press corpsrecently visited the bank of the Qi River in Hebi, Henan Province, for a promotion campaign themed “Exploring China: the Origin of Chinese Characters”.

Since the beginning of time, many luminaries have visited this location to read poetry. Li Bai, Gao Shi, and Wang Wei were among the poets who flocked to the Qi River to sing poetry aloud. Many poems in the Book of Songs, China’s first poetry collection, depict the beautiful scenery of the Qi River and record the folk customs along the banks.

Thousands of yearson, the locals still value poetry and pass down the classics. The local government built a 2.5km-long street park in Qibin District—QihePoetry Garden.The poetry corridorstretches from north to southalong the Qi River.With 1500 poems total, it is organized chronologically into five chapters.

Poems related to the local history are engraved on the flagstones of the corridor or the floor tiles of the square. Parents bring their kids here to relax, recite poetry, and go over historical accounts, adding poetry to the picturesque setting.