The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Cuba Alpidio Alonso Grau (5th from left), shares his poems with about 100 delegates at the "Encuentro Poetico Cuba-China," a Cuban-Chinese poetry appreciation event at the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in China, on July 11, 2025. Photo: Chen Tao/GT

Editor's Note: 

Diversity is the basic feature of the world and the very charm of human civilization. Civilizations thrive and prosper through exchanges and mutual learning, which serve as major driving forces for human progress, world peace, and development.

The Global Times recently interviewed foreign envoys in China to share their perspectives and how they understand mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilizations. They have also explored ways and means to build a global network for dialogue and cooperation among civilizations.

As part of the activities commemorating the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and China, the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in China hosted the Cuba-China Poetry Appreciation event in Beijing, on July 11.

Minister of Culture of the Republic of Cuba Alpidio Alonso Grau, who was invited to the Global Civilizations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting in Beijing, told the Global Times on July 11 that his visit to China would be brief but fruitful. 

On the sidelines of the meeting, the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in China held "Encuentro Poetico Cuba-China," a Cuban-Chinese poetry appreciation event, where Chinese and Cuban poets shared their poems and insights on their creative work, while analyzing the rich literary heritage of both countries. 

The minister told the Global Times that the dialogue of civilization is associated with cultural exchanges and the possibility of defending cultural values and recognizing diversity.

From his point of view, the culture of dialogue is against exclusion, and against a culture of violence, discrimination, and xenophobia. "In the face of emerging unilateralism, we, as Cuba, call for a culture of dialogue and inclusion," he said. 

To elaborate on the culture of equality, he said that "Cuba depends on a culture of justice and peace."

2025 marks the 65th anniversary of the bilateral ties between Cuba and China. The minister said that "We [Cuba and China] have very close relations in the cultural sphere, but we think we still have much more potential to exploit."

The minister shared his outlook on bilateral collaboration in the cultural sector that could focus on music, cinema, and literature. He also urged increased efforts in translating literary works to break the language barrier in cultural exchanges. "We should make an effort to make contemporary Chinese art much more known in Cuba. There aren't many poetry translators, and there aren't many Spanish translators in China," the minister said. 

"We are very interested in expanding our knowledge of Chinese poetry and Chinese literature in general, but the knowledge we Cuban readers have about Chinese poetry is still very limited and we intend to encourage a much broader exchange, to also make Cuban poetry be known here [in China]," Minister Alonso told the Global Times. 

During the Cuban-Chinese poetry appreciation event, as both a poet and an editor, Minister Alonso shared his poems titled "Venegas, 1993," "Cisne Salvaje" (Wild Swan), and "Heredad" (Inheritance). The poet introduced that he was born in Venegas, in the central city of Villa Clara, Cuba. "Venegas, 1993" is part of a poetry collection, in which readers can read about Cuban culture and Cubans' lives. The collection was written when Alonso was traveling in provinces of Cuba. Although he majored in automatic control engineering, Alonso has published several poetry collections. 

After sharing three poems, Minister Alonso said, "It is a very magical and wonderful experience to be able to translate my works into Chinese and hear them read aloud in Chinese by experts and scholars." Meanwhile, he remarked that the event is of great symbolic and commemorative significance. 

"Cuba was also the first country in the Western Hemisphere to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China," he said. 

Usually, when bilateral ties are discussed, the focus could be more often on economic and trade exchanges. However, the exchanges of poetry and literature, which is rather spiritual, are also very important, as it allows us to achieve spiritual resonance between our two peoples, the minister stressed. 

"The event also allows us to express our emotions, and understand and learn from each other. This is an extremely important part of our cultural exchange, and the most basic part of our bilateral relationship," he added. 

The event also hosted Jidi Majia, an indigenous poet of the Nuosu (in the Yi ethnic group) people of mountainous southwestern China; Zhao Zhenjiang, a veteran Spanish language professor at Peking University; Xiao Xiao, a Chinese poet and painter; Sun Xintang, a professor at the Beijing Language and Culture University; and Cuban poet and intellectual Yasef Ananda, who lives in China.

Jidi Majia said the event aims to further deepen cultural ties and poetry exchanges between the two countries. "Even though today's world is getting more complicated with more uncertainty, I think poetry will play a huge role in deepening the dialogue among different countries and civilizations," said Jidi Majia before sharing his poems. 

When he was a 17-year-old high-school student, Jidi Majia fell in love with poems by Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén. "His works enlightened me on the musicality of poetry, and how poems can be more than the words. Thus, his poems influenced me a lot," Jidi Majia said, sharing his poems titled "The Responsibilities of a Poet," "Century," and "Flames."

For her part, Xiao Xiao, a Chinese poet and painter, started her sharing from the experience of attending the 31st Havana International Poetry Festival in late May in Cuba. When she was a little girl, she sang a song titled "meili de hawana" (or Beautiful Havana). "The song has influenced generations of Chinese people, and I visited Havana this year," Xiao Xiao shared. 

At the end of the event, Minister Alonso awarded Zhao, a pioneer in the translation of Latin American poetry into Chinese, the medal of "Distincion por la Cultura Nacional" (or Distinction for National Culture) for his remarkable contribution to introducing Cuban literature to China. The 85-year-old scholar said that "For me, this award is a great honor, but it's also a great encouragement to continue working to promote cultural exchanges between China and Cuba, and between China and the Hispanic world."