The Mid-Autumn Festival is only one day away and Richmond-based Chinese-speaking poets have already taken to Zoom to mark the special occasion and virtually reunite with each other.
"How rare the moon, so round and clear. With cup in hand, I ask of the blue sky," Richmondite Aaron Han said, quoting from a famous Chinese melody, as the Richmond News logged into the event Wednesday.
Han, the event organizer, later told the News that his only regret was that he wasn't holding a glass of red wine “while reading those beautiful lines.”
He used to host the poetry reading event at Mylora Sidaway Golf Club in Richmond, but like almost everything else in the era of the pandemic, the poetry reading also needed to adapt by moving online.
This year's event was more important than the previous ones, because many immigrants weren’t able to reunite with their beloved family members living back in China due to COVID-19, said Han, adding that sometimes poetry could be used as a therapy.
"Poetry can always lay our vulnerabilities bare, which could allow us to be able to relate to one another and gain support,” added Han.
Sharing delicate mooncakes and having dinner with friends have always been part of the routine and ritual of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The virtual event was hosted in Chinese because some attendees have limited English language proficiency, but Han said he aims to hold future events in English as well, to allow English-speaking poets to attend.
"My poet friends are teaching their children to learn some Chinese,” said Han.
“Therefore, our next generation could serve as a bridge to help us break the language barriers. They can even help us translate some poems into English, so that we can appreciate the beauty of literature together.”
