POETRY in FLIGHT

Ma Baoli, a pilot with the Dalian branch of China Southern Airlines, in Northeast China's Liaoning province, has won the moniker "poetic captain" for his passion for poems.

Many people might, when they see a beautiful view, simply say it is beautiful. But Ma recites ancient Chinese poetry instead.

While flying over the Yellow River, he thinks of this verse: "Do you not see the Yellow River come from the sky, rushing into the sea, and never come back?" Above the Yangtze River, he recites: "Wave after wave, the Yangtze River roars east, sweeping away with it all our heroes."

If conditions permit, he shares the poems with passengers via captain's announcements.

"It's amazing! The poets of ancient China could not have flown to such heights, and yet they wrote poems that perfectly illustrated the magnificence of nature," says Ma.

In early February, the 35-year-old won first place in the Chinese Poetry Conference, a popular poetry-themed quiz show jointly launched by the China Media Group and the Ministry of Education and broadcast nationwide.

This is the second time he has participated in the show as a contestant since 2019.

For Ma, classical poetry, which has accompanied him since his childhood, is the most beautiful language in the world.

"I like reading poetry in my spare time. Once I pick up a book of poetry, I can't put it down — it's a bit like those who can't stop scrolling through short videos on social media these days," says Ma.

"I don't have short-video apps installed on my phone. I'm all about poetry."

Ma was born in 1988 in rural Pizhou, East China's Jiangsu province. His father, who struggled to feed the family through farming and fishing, used to paint on the white walls of their house and write poems to match the paintings.

"I enjoyed watching my father do these things and listening to him recite poems. It planted the seed of loving ancient poetry in my heart. The poems also inspired me to chase the dream of 'reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles'," Ma recalls.

When he was a senior middle school student, Ma happened to watch a TV play about airlines and pilots, which piqued his interest in flying.

"I made up my mind to be a pilot. It could give me the chance to 'travel ten thousand miles'. 'Reading ten thousand books' would allow my soul to match the speed and altitude of flight," says Ma.

In 2007, he was admitted to the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, in the provincial capital of Jiangsu. After graduation, he joined the Dalian branch of China Southern Airlines. He was promoted to captain in 2016 and became a flight instructor in 2020.

He has integrated his passion for poetry into his daily work.

While instructing pilots about flight safety, he developed a series of lessons called "poetry on safety", delivering the knowledge in poetic form to make them unforgettable.

While traveling through the sky, he occasionally recites poems to passengers about the places they are flying over after broadcasting basic flight information.

On Feb 4, which in the traditional Chinese calendar was lichun, or the Start of Spring, the first of the 24 solar terms of the year, the new TV poetry star surprised the passengers aboard a China Southern Airlines flight from Dalian to Guangzhou with a poetic broadcast.

"At the end of the year, when there's little frost, spring returns. Trees and grass are the first to know when spring comes. The world in front of my eyes is filled with life. The east wind blows and the water ripples," Ma recited through the speaker.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain Ma Baoli speaking. Today is the unveiling of the prologue of spring. The economy of our country is also recovering steadily and vitality and prosperity are everywhere."

Ma's poetic broadcasts and his performances on the poetry show have won him many fans.

On Feb 15, a passenger wrote in his flight log: "Whether or not Captain Ma Baoli is a member of the crew today, please give my best regards to him. The perfect combination of poetry and flying is deeply romantic to the Chinese people."

Ma says: "When a colleague sent me a photo of his words, I was profoundly moved. It is a great honor that some passengers think of me when they are flying with China Southern Airlines."

On social networking platform Sina Weibo, people expressed their admiration for Ma and their wish to hear his poetic broadcasts on his flights.

"There is a great enthusiasm for poetry. Actually, many Chinese people have a special feeling for it," said Ma, who attributes his popularity to people's love for traditional Chinese culture.

Reciting poetry has become part of the everyday life of his family. Like the father, Ma's daughters, aged 6 and 9, are also fond of poetry and traditional Chinese culture.

During this year's poetry show, Ma's wife and daughters also participated in the recording of the program, getting on the stage and showing support as he battled against other competitors.

"Chinese classical poetry and traditional culture have brought me a wonderful experience. I hope my children can feel the same way," says Ma.