In 2012, Yang Lian and others started an online poetry competition in China. They expected a good response, but were astounded to receive more than 85,000 entries, with unknown poets-some earning their living as migrant workers-delivering fine works in classical forms. This anthology offers some of the winning poems from the first two years of the competition, together with comments by the judges and essays by several of the people involved.

Translated by: Brian Holton