PHUKET, Thailand, May 21 (Xinhua)-- Love is like durian. People who never tried it say it smells too much. People who had a taste can never have enough.

The above is one of a few hundred three-line love poems written by lovers of Chinese culture in southern Thailand. The poems, in both Thai and Chinese, were emailed to the Confucius Institute at Phuket, Prince of Songkla University from mid March to April 30 for an online competition.

Experts graded and gave award to the poems on Monday based on their linguistic and literary values. Meanwhile, internet users voted for their favorites on social media platforms such as Facebook and Wechat.

Nurhayatee Sudgarak won the first prize with a poem on her home province of Pattani in southern Thailand. In her poem, she expresses love for Pattani and regrets that terrorist attacks have scared away people from the coastal province with plenty of sunshine and beaches.

"I wish more friends from China and other parts of the world will get to know my hometown, a beautiful place," Sudgarak wrote on her Facebook account after winning the award.