The fifth Qinghai Lake International Poetry Festival started on Aug. 7. The festival’s theme is the ongoing evolution of poetic language and structure of modern poems. American poet and Sinologist Denis Mair said that, although poetry is relegated to the periphery of contemporary culture, it still has a purpose in an era of all-prevailing consumerism. Sublime, diverse and powerful, poetry is a cultural phenomenon that transcends linguistic, ethnical and national boundaries, Mair said. It binds people together. Chinese poet Xi Murong said: “Poetic inspirations spring from daily experience and reflections. Poetry resonates with the tempo of life.”