‘Alas, cease showing sickness before old pals; just start a new fire to try the fresh spring tea. Seize the time for poetry-making and wine-relishing.’ – Su Dongpo Gazing South – written on the Transcending Tower
CHINA. Global Duty Free Premium Plaza (GDF Plaza) launched the inaugural GDF Poetry and Wine Garden Party at Mova Mall in Haikou on 19 February.
The event is part of the first China (Hainan) Dongpo Cultural Tourism Festival, which opened a day earlier.
The festival honours renowned Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) poet Su Shi (1037-1101), also known as Su Dongpo.
Su is considered one of China’s most recognisable cultural icons, acclaimed for his outstanding artistic achievements. He lived in Hainan for three years, leaving behind a vibrant cultural heritage.
In the New Hainan video below for her popular ‘Weekly Shop Visit’, our colleague Lu Tianqin, Chief TV Host of Hinews.cn Media and Head of the Duty Free Channel, reports from the GDF Plaza store. New Hainan is owned by Hainan Hinews Media Co, The Moodie Davitt Report’s strategic partner in Hainan province.
The Dongpo Cultural Tourism Festival includes a forum, exhibition, live performances, food and cultural experience activities, and artistic and creative competitions. Designated as one of the key activities of the festival, the GDF Plaza event encourages consumers to experience the culture of Dongpo and Chinese wine in an immersive way.
Consumers can sample a range of Chinese wines from Danzhou in northwest Hainan and other cities in the province visited by Su Dongpo. International spirit brands such as Hennessy and Martell also feature in the sampling area.
A lecturer discusses Su Dongpo’s drinking culture, expressed through his joyful poetry from days gone by when ‘wine smelled good’ and ‘poetry was passed down through the ages’.
The GDF Poetry and Wine Tour combines a personalised shopping and Dongpo cultural experience involving visual, auditory and olfactory senses. ✈
