In the morning, they were reciting “How could I have a million more dwellings, wide and grand,” in front of the thatched cottage of Du Fu. By noon, they walked into the Tiansfu Red McDonald’s restaurant in Chengdu, and looked up to see the line on the wall: “Round lotus leaves float on the water, and fine wheat grains fall as light blossoms”—at this moment, the students’ research trip in poetry achieved a switch from an ancient poetic realm to everyday life and its warmth.

On August 16, the Sichuan Provincial Competition of the Chinese Poetry Aesthetic Education Contest × the Sichuan McDonald’s-themed store officially opened to the public. For the children participating in the research program “Poetry Nourishes the Youth, Aesthetic Education Passes on Traditions—Traveling through Sichuan with Poetry” from August 16 to 17, this place is an unexpected “poetry classroom.”

On the table, there are lines of poetry printed; on the walls, there are inscriptions of poetic lines; even by the dining counters, you can find memories of Sichuan’s cultural roots. The children who had just read Du Fu by the corridor of the Caotang Steles and listened to Yang Shen by the Lotus Pond in Gui Lake sat down—and immediately discovered a surprise: the very words they had experienced only a short while ago now appear beside the hamburger box and next to the Coca‑Cola cup.

Take a bite of a hamburger, and read a line of poetry. Lu You wrote in Leshan, “Green sprouts connect with villages’ wheat, and fragrant breezes reach everywhere with plums.” The Poet Saint Du Fu left in Chengdu, “Round lotus leaves float on the small waters; fine wheat falls, light flowers drift down.” Fan Chengda, passing through Suining, also recorded a vivid scene: “Harvesting wheat spans thousands of ridges, and a crosswise raft drifts over a small stream.” These words that originally lived in textbooks now, at this moment, come together with classic deliciousness in a wonderful encounter.

Follow the poems and travel through Sichuan. This “walking poetry class” lets young poetry enthusiasts go as far as McDonald’s—where a more relaxed way of expression has been created. Poetic rhythms of Bashu, McDonald’s companions. This event received strong support from McDonald’s in Sichuan. From today onward, the Sichuan regional division of the China Poetry Aesthetic Education Competition (with the Sichuan McDonald’s themed store) at Chengdu Tianfu Hong McDonald’s welcomes more local residents, visitors, and poetry lovers to come and check in. Let the thousand-year poetic charm meet the culinary culture here.

Cover News reporter Han Jianwen