Summary of the 2026 Inaugural Fu Lei Former Residence - Anna Keiko “Poetry and Beyond” Poetry Exhibition Series

 Summary of the 2026 Inaugural Fu Lei Former Residence 

Anna Keiko “Poetry and Beyond” Poetry Exhibition Series

On March 22, 2026, the inaugural Fu Lei Former Residence Anna Keiko “Poetry and Beyond” Poetry Exhibition concluded successfully at the Fu Lei Former Residence in Zhoupu Town, Pudong New District, Shanghai. Lasting one and a half months, the exhibition attracted hundreds of visitors. Using poetry as a medium, it paid tribute to the spirit of Fu Lei and promoted the integration of poetry culture into daily life, achieving fruitful results.

I. Opening: Simple yet Profound

On February 10, 2026, amidst the lingering chill of spring, the Anna Keiko “Poetry and Beyond” Poetry Exhibition quietly opened at the Fu Lei Former Residence (No. 48 Lixi Road, Zhoupu Town). There was no ceremony, no press, and no fanfare—it began its poetic journey with simplicity.

Led by Chief Planner Mr. Guo Nankai, twelve people attended, including Manager Xu and Teacher Tao from Lixi Culture Company, Cai Feng and Wang Yaning (co-founders of the Fu Lei Reading Club), and Shan Shui and Qian Yuming (Deputy Secretaries-General of ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literature), along with other members. That day, over a dozen visitors, including Tan Zhenguan, Cui’e, Xiao Ying, and a female delivery rider, arrived early to view the exhibition. As the exhibition opened just before the Spring Festival and the weather was cold, the organizers did not widely publicize it to avoid disrupting holiday preparations. The centerpiece of the exhibition was planned as the “Lixi Lantern Festival Poetry Gathering,” and preparations were underway.

During the preparation for the exhibition and the poetry gathering, many Chinese and international poets sent congratulatory messages. From China, these included renowned scientist-poet Guo Yuefang and celebrated Shanghai poet and International Poetry Festival chairman Zhao Lihong. International poets who sent video congratulations included French poet-artist Timothée Bordenave, renowned South Korean poet Kang Byoung-chul, acclaimed Indonesian poet Sastri Bakry, distinguished Armenian poet Maja Panajotova, Vietnamese poet Vö Thi Nhu Mai, celebrated Italian poet Angela Kosta, and eminent Belgian poet Germain Droogenbroodt.

II. Lantern Festival Poetry Gathering: Poetry Enriches the Lantern Festival, Emotion Fills Lixi

On the afternoon of March 1, the inaugural “Lixi Lantern Festival Poetry Gathering” was held at the Zhoupu Cultural Center. Themed “Poetry Enriches the Lantern Festival, Emotion Fills Lixi,” it was hosted by Zhoupu Town Cultural Service Center and Shanghai Lixi Culture Development Co., Ltd., and co-organized by the Fu Lei Reading Club, Fu Lei Former Residence, and ACC Shanghai Huifeng International Literature Society. Special guest poet Anna Keiko took center stage, as nearly a hundred poetry enthusiasts gathered for this poetic occasion.

A Gathering of Esteemed Guests

Attendees included Gong Xiaoyong, Director of the Zhoupu Cultural Center; Qian Wenliang, Professor at the Shanghai University College of Liberal Arts and Director of the China Contemporary Poetry Research Center; Yang Binhua, renowned critic from the Shanghai Writers Association; Cao Xiaohang, poet and Director of the Shanghai Prosecutors’ Federation of Literary and Art Circles; Rui Xiao, expert from the Institute of Urban Cultural Innovation at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences; and Zhai Yuxi, President of the North American Poetry Association, who traveled with his wife from Houston, USA, via Beijing. Notable poets Yang Ruifu and Cui Tianyi also attended. As Rui Xiao remarked on stage, “Anna Keiko was born for poetry and lives for poetry.”

A Splendid Array of Poetic Events

The poetry gathering opened with “Youthful Rhymes Greeting Spring,” performed by the parent-child language arts group of Fulei Primary School. Internationally renowned poet Anna Keiko shared her life credo, “Knowledge changes destiny, culture cultivates the spirit,” and donated a signed collection of her poems to the Fu Lei Former Residence. Poetic friends from around the world sent video blessings, demonstrating how the power of poetry transcends borders.

The recitation segment was divided into two parts: the inheritance of classics and original works. Parent-child duos performed classics like “Invitation to Wine” (Qiang Jin Jiu). Xu Guoxin recited Anna Keiko’s poem “Ocean Waves,” while Zhai Yuxi recited Keiko’s “Lilacs at Fayuan Temple” alongside Xin Qiji’s classic “Lantern Festival” (Qingyu’an · Yuanxi)—ending with the evocative line, “But when I turned around, there she stood, in the fading lantern light,” which brought the Lantern Festival mood to its peak. Poets Cao Xiaohang, Yang Ruifu, and Rui Xiao each took the stage to recite their own original works. At the event, calligraphy pieces featuring congratulatory poems presented to Zhoupu by renowned artists Xue Xixiang and Huang Yazhou were impressively unveiled.

Setting Sail: Lixi P