Seven writers from six APEC member economies, Indonesia, South Korea, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam, officially launched the "2026 Global Writers in Guangdong Program" in Shenzhen on July 8, embarking on a two-month immersive tour across Guangdong Province in southern China.
Organized by the Guangdong Provincial Writers' Association, the program adopts a "walk-and-write" model, bringing together overseas authors to experience Guangdong's development and Lingnan culture firsthand. The cohort, spanning generations from the 1960s to the 1990s and with an equal gender balance, represents established literary voices in their home countries.
Shenzhen serves as the program's first window into China's reform and opening-up. On day one, the writers toured an exhibition commemorating 40 years of Guangdong's reform and opening-up at the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning, where archival photos and immersive displays trace the province's development. They also visited Luohu's Yumin Village to see how urban renewal has transformed local communities, and the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone to explore the integration of technology and culture.
"Shenzhen is incredibly inclusive," said Vietnamese writer Nguyen Khac Ngan Vi, who recalled her 2017 visit. Standing before a historic photo of factory workers, she remarked, "Their clothing and energy are so vibrant."
The itinerary includes stops at Southern University of Science and Technology and Shenzhen Science & Technology Museum, followed by a welcome forum on July 10 featuring Lingnan culture lectures and dialogues with local writers.
From late July to late August, the delegation will travel to Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Jiangmen, and Guangzhou, covering the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, the Museum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Tangjiawan's traditional villages, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Kaiping Diaolou and Villages, and Yongqing Fang's alleyways, to explore the ecological, historical, and cultural dimensions of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
After completing the tour, all seven writers will produce original literary works on Guangdong, enriching people-to-people exchanges during the 2026 APEC China Year and presenting a multidimensional image of Guangdong to the world.
Author | Jiang Chang
Photo | Guangdong Provincial Writers' Association
