Learning from the past

Campaign inviting youth to pen their spiritual conversations to legendary poet Qu Yuan draws a huge response from more than 20 countries and regions, Wang Yuting reports.

A student from Kazakhstan, Dina has always been intrigued by the rational thinking and highly original works of Qu Yuan, one of the greatest poets of ancient China. Qu may have lived some 2,300 years ago, but his vigorous patriotism still inspires youth worldwide, and Dina is no exception.

"I first became acquainted with Qu Yuan when I read about the origin of Dragon Boat Festival in China at the Confucius Institute in Astana, Kazakhstan. As I became more familiar with his work, Qu's patriotism became my passion," she recalls.

Her interest in liberal arts piqued, Dina completed her undergraduate studies in China in 2017 and continued to pursue her master's degree in ancient Chinese literature in Shanghai University.

As her understanding of China deepened, Dina discovered that the wisdom hidden in the country's thousands of years of history and represented by the rational mind of Qu could blur regional and national boundaries and trigger a worldwide resonance.

"The road (of learning) may be long and tough, but I still want to seek the truth," she says.

China has entered a new era of reforms and is experiencing immense changes in its economic system, social structure, interest patterns and ideologies.

"The wisdom of ancient Chinese poets and philosophers, such as Qu and Confucius, belongs to all mankind. They are the beacon of civilization; they inspire generations to follow in their progressive footsteps; they motivate people to think and explore," says Dina.

Every year, she celebrates Dragon Boat Festival, which fell on Friday this year, in a tribute to Qu.