Paper Boats under the Starry Sky tells a story of stay-at-home children and their yearning for parents who work in far-away big cities. [Photo/zjg.wenming.cn]

Back in August of 2016, port city youngsters won the hearts of audiences all across the province during the awarding ceremony of the Second Jiangsu Province Teenager Poetry Recitation Contest held in Zhangjiagang.

Local teenagers once again proved their skills at the final of the First Zhangjiagang Teenager Poetry Recitation Contest held at the cultural center in Tangqiao town on Dec 22, 2016.

Initiated in late September of 2016, the contest caught the imagination of local youth after asking them to submit their own works describing their inner world. After receiving 371 works, 35 finalist works were selected, such as the Paper Boats under the Starry Sky, telling a story of stay-at-home children and their yearning for parents who work in big cities afar, and the Mobile Phone, depicting the internal struggles of children who want to win more favor from their parents over their mobile phones.

Colorful Butterflies is presented by the Jiyang Experimental Primary School. [Photo/zjg.wenming.cn]

The touching words, along with children's earnest performances, deeply impressed and moved the audience.

The contest delivered a number of awards, including seven excellent pieces winning the first prize, 12 winning the second prize, 16 winning the third prize. Eight teachers were also granted the "Excellent Instructor" award.

After the contest, winners were given the chance to record their works. The recordings will be played at the beautiful campus of the Zhangjiagang Broadcasting Station.

A classic poetry recitation by Xu Hanrui and Xujin from the Jiyang Lake Experimental School [Photo/zjg.wenming.cn]