A journey comes full circle
An 11th-century literary giant faced punishment, but his writings are driving a heritage and economic revival in Hainan today, Chen Bowen reports in Haikou.
The forum, attended by 139 scholars from across the globe, delved into this symbiotic relationship. When Su was banished to Hainan in 1097, the island was a remote region with difficult natural conditions. He responded not with despair, but with action, establishing schools, promoting agriculture, compiling medical texts, and penning 170 poems and 160 essays, including some of his most profound philosophical and literary works.
"He reached ultimate sublimation in his life here," Lin Anwu, honorary chair professor at Dong Hwa University, Taiwan, noted the poet's cross-Straits and cross-generational appeal.
"His spirit can basically deal with involution, lying flat, modern anxiety … his life was rich, vibrant, and radiant," Lin explained. "Even very meager materials could become a vibrant driving force for life in his hands."
This translation of ancient resilience into modern solace is the festival's beating heart. It aims to show that Su's answer to adversity, "Wherever my heart is at peace, that is my hometown," resonates in today's uncertain world.
The festival's programming aims to bridge this millennium-old gap. In a striking fusion, the 2025 Hainan Dongpo Culture Songwriting and Singing Camp culminated in a grand finale concert on Dec 20 in Haikou, where 13 original songs, using online crowdsourcing and collaborations, reimagined Su's poetry through hip-hop, pop, and rock. One track, The Hunt, used a driving rap beat to channel the poet's "drawing a bow like a full moon" bravado. Another song, Charm of a Maiden Singer, combined Peking Opera recitative with pop singing, creating a temporal dialogue around his famous lines on life's transience: "The endless river eastward flows".
"We are using 21st-century melodies to deconstruct a millennia-old Dongpo spirit," said Dai San'e, the event's organizer, framing it as a "vivid practice" in cultural confidence for the Hainan Free Trade Port development.
