BANGKOK, Aug. 15, 2025 — Recently, coinciding with a Chinese lantern festival in Thailand, UnionPay’s ‘Poetry POS Machine’ public welfare campaign introduced poems from Chinese children in mountainous regions to an international audience for the first time. The event also featured the ‘Poetry Lights the Heart’s Lantern’ Bangkok lantern and poetry festival.
At the venue, UnionPay’s ‘Poetry POS Machine’ overseas charity booth was conspicuously located under a display of China-Thailand friendship lanterns. A magnificent large central lantern graced the booth, with adjacent lanterns decorated with children’s poems written in both Chinese and Thai.
Local Thai children recited poems composed by their Chinese counterparts, appreciating the inherent innocence and delight. Booth attendees had two options: donate by swiping their UnionPay cards on the POS machine to obtain a bilingual Chinese-Thai poetry receipt, or record an audio of themselves reading a poem for free and receive a postcard featuring an audio QR code, serving as a distinct keepsake.
Significantly, all funds raised from this event will be directed through a local Thai charitable foundation, aimed at enhancing the living conditions and educational opportunities for children in the area.
UnionPay, a prominent international card network, enjoys extensive acceptance across Thailand and operates a global network covering 183 countries and regions.
A China UnionPay spokesperson stated, “We believe that despite the geographical distance separating China and Thailand, the genuine sentiment and warmth conveyed in these poems resonate universally. Poetry serves as a common language for humanity, offering solace to all souls; similarly, lanterns, wherever they illuminate, symbolize our collective yearning for light and warmth.”
To highlight the artistic talents of children from mountainous areas, China UnionPay initiated the ‘Poetry POS Machine’ campaign in 2019, extending their poems beyond their local communities. As of now, the program has reached over 400 schools in mountainous regions across Anhui, Henan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Xinjiang, and other provinces, providing art education programs to more than 7,000 local children.
The campaign has, to date, amassed over 6,000 poems and resulted in the publication of an anthology. Furthermore, the inaugural UnionPay public welfare library and 114 public welfare book corners have been established and are operational in Jinzhai County, Anhui Province, central China.
Source: China UnionPay
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