HANGZHOU, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Amid the sweltering summer heat, dozens of young poets from home and abroad gathered in east China's Zhejiang Province on Friday, united by their shared love of poetry.

The First International Youth Poetry Festival's Special Session for BRICS Countries kicked off on Friday evening, bringing together 49 poets from nine countries and 23 Chinese poets for a range of academic seminars, visits to historic sites, and poetry recitals in their native languages.

"I am very interested in the ancient handicrafts, and I hope to integrate these Chinese elements into my future poetry creations," said Hassan Amer from Egypt while visiting the Grand Canal in the provincial capital city of Hangzhou.

The event aims to foster friendship through poetry and promote cultural exchange among young people from different backgrounds, according to the organizer, the China Writers Association, as participants immersed themselves in the ancient traditions and modernity of Chinese culture.

"Unable to part with Hangzhou, half of it is due to this lake," recited Chinese poet Liang Xiaoming in both Chinese and English, guiding the group into a hall dedicated to Su Shi and Bai Juyi, two renowned ancient Chinese poets, by the city's West Lake.

"Celebrated as two of China's greatest poets and former mayors of ancient Hangzhou, Su Shi and Bai Juyi left a lasting legacy with their profound verses," said Liang. "Centuries later, their spirit still resonates."

Thiago Ponce, a Brazilian poet from Rio de Janeiro, was deeply impressed by Liang's introduction. "Seeing the poet convey the imagery and emotions from their verses adds a deeply moving dimension to the experience," Ponce said.

Many of the poets came to China for the first time, including university teachers, students, journalists and doctors. Among them was Shaikha Almteiri, a poet from the United Arab Emirates, who said poets should maintain an open mind, exploring new perspectives and expressions from diverse cultures and lifestyles to stimulate the vitality of poetry.

Many participants expressed their wishes for more cultural exchanges, including Ethiopian poet Feben Fancho, who said she hopes events of this kind will be extended to other countries, including her own.

Thiago Ponce said that BRICS was originally an economic concept, but he believes that today cultural exchanges among the BRICS nations are equally important. "I believe we need to strengthen these connections and bonds, as we have much to learn from one another and to empower our cultures and countries," said the Brazilian poet.

"Poetry plays a crucial role in this process," Ponce said.