A Russian Poets Love Letter to Weihai

Some cities are stops along a journey, but Weihai has become a page in her poetry. Recently, Russian poet Tang Xilan posted a video on a short-video platform sharing her impressions of Weihai.

She didn't rush through this trip. Tang Xilan told a journalist, "My husband and I drove together, taking our time as we travelled along the Shandong coastline. As we drove, we explored different coastal cities, and that's how we ended up in Weihai." Driving slowly and taking in the sights, the sea unfolded section by section outside the window. Each city was different, and so was the sea. But when they arrived in Weihai, she said, it felt especially different—truly, truly unforgettable.

Tang Xilan is Russian. She has always loved and studied traditional Chinese culture, including poetry. So whenever she travels, she always looks at the mountains and the sea before her through the eyes of a poet. When she looks at the sea, she sees more than just its colour; when she looks at the rocks, she sees more than just their shapes. She perceives the passage of time behind the scenery and discerns the character of a city hidden within the sea breeze.

It wasn't just the sea that moved her in Weihai. She said, "The sea here in Weihai is very different—it's not just about the beautiful scenery. This sea, these reefs, and the long, long history hidden here—all of it has deeply moved me." These words were spoken lightly, but they carried great weight. The sea in Weihai offers both scenery and history; it encompasses both the present and the past. For someone who loves traditional Chinese culture and poetry, it's hard not to be moved by a place like this.

Of course, there are also the people of Weihai. She said, "And the people here in Weihai—they're down-to-earth, gentle, and very sincere toward others. Walking down the street, feeling the sea breeze, I feel a deep sense of peace and contentment." This sense of contentment isn't something that's deliberately created. It's something you gradually feel as you walk down the street, feel the sea breeze, and spend time in this city. Perhaps that's what makes Weihai so special: it's quiet, unhurried, and invites you to slow down.

What makes it even more special is that this poem, written for Weihai, wasn't something she had composed in advance at home. Tang Xilan said, "It was during this road trip—as I stood by the sea myself, gazing at the distant mountains and the waves—that a wealth of emotions gradually welled up within me." The poem wasn't forced out of her. It was gradually shaped by the distant mountains, the waves, the sea breeze, and the sense of peace this city brought her.

She makes a habit of jotting down the emotions that the mountains and sea evoke in her at that very moment, then slowly refining them into verses. So this poem captures the moment she stood on the seashore in Weihai, the distant mountains she saw, the sound of the waves she heard, and the sincerity and warmth shown to her by the people of Weihai.

"I also hope that through my poetry, more people will come to know Weihai and experience the unique poetic beauty of its mountains and sea," she says. She isn't merely praising a city; she is writing down the Weihai she has experienced, sharing its beauty with others, and telling the world about it.

　　大众网出品

　　记者：林啸

　　翻译：丁小涵