Revitalizing endangered languages through poetry (Part 4)

In the vast linguistic and cultural landscape of China, a unique poetic project is bringing visibility to Indigenous-minority languages through the voices of bilingual and even biliterate poets. Arranged geographically in a counterclockwise order—spanning from the Northeast to the Northwest, then down to the Southwest and back up to the East coast—the selected poets represent a diverse array of ethnic backgrounds and regions. Their works, written and performed in both their native languages and Mandarin Chinese, serve as powerful acts of cultural preservation.

Among them are not only poets but also singer-lyricists, whose influence extends beyond literary circles, reaching wider audiences through music. One such figure is Lan Yongxiao, a She (Shan Ha) artist from Zhejiang, who turned from a migrant worker into a popular singer. For him, ancestral stories live through song, and preserving the She language means safeguarding cultural identity. "If young people don’t speak She, the cultural heritage of She can never be preserved," he emphasizes.

Another striking example is Gebu, a Hani poet from Yunnan, whose live reading performance—displaying his poem in Hani using the newly Romanized writing system—underscores the urgency of language preservation. Similarly, Tong Yu from Guangxi recites her poem in Mulao (Mulam), a language spoken by a small population in southern China, highlighting its connection to the larger Zhuang and Dong (Kam) linguistic families.

With four poets from Yunnan—China’s most culturally and linguistically diverse province—the project showcases voices from “small” languages, often overshadowed by dominant minority languages such as Tibetan and Uyghur. Yet, these languages and their poetic expressions are no less vital. Each one offers a unique lens through which to view the world, enriching not only Indigenous literature but also the broader landscape of Chinese poetry.

At its core, this initiative underscores a powerful truth: endangered languages can be preserved not only through poems and songs but also through the resilience and pride of those who speak them.

The project is part of the subtheme Re-imagining identity through poetry.