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Festival adds poetry, drama to Xixi Wetland
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XIXI Wetland is renowned for its picturesque reed beds, and the area known as Snowy Reeds in Xixi has been considered a must-see attraction since at least the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Taking a traditional-style boat through the wetland’s rivers and streams is a great way to see the area. There are beautiful sights at every turn: flying, paddling and diving birds, persimmon trees, aquatic plants and reed marshes.
The Xixi Wetland National Park is hosting its annual Reed Festival through December. Those who visit now can admire 24 hectares of flowering reeds of various species. On sunny days, their seed heads catch the gold of the setting sun as they scatter in the breeze.
One of the best spots to take in such scenes is the old Qiuxue Nunnery. This destination, which is no longer an active nunnery, contains a memorial hall commemorating 1,044 poets from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Throughout dynasties, they were enchanted by the picturesque reed scenery and created poems singing its praises.
Last week, a ritual ceremony was hosted to worship these literatus. More than 100 modern poets from poetry organizations in Zhejiang Province attended the ceremony and shared their own verses.
Poetry is closely associated with the Xixi Wetland, and it is one of the highlights of the Reed Festival.
In the Qing Dynasty, a pair of female poets established the Jiaoyuan Poet Society in Xixi with an aim of spreading poetry among women at the time.
Though the original society no longer exists, its spirit is carried on by a group of modern female poets who lead the New Jiaoyuan Poet Society. This is the 10th year of the society’s establishment. During the ritual ceremony, they held a series of anniversary activities in honor of the festival.
Yueju Opera is also intimately tied up with the wetland. It is said that the old stage under a camphor tree in Xixi is where the first performance of northern-style Yueju Opera was performed.
During the festival, scenes from noted Yueju Opera plays will be performed on the walkways of the wetlands. Visitors can take in the local drama tradition while appreciating the romantic reed views.
When reeds blossom, shallow bogs dry out. This creates ideal conditions to catch fish. Visitors can rent wading suits worn by local fishermen to catch fish of their own. Their catches can then be cooked at local family-run restaurants.
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