Worship Yan Emperor to honor the national ancestor

Over 10,000 people attended the worshipping ceremony of Yan Emperor in his mausoleum in Yanling county, Hunan province, to pay tribute to the ancestor of China on his birthday on Sept 28.

The governor of Hunan province, Xu Shousheng, served as the deacon of the ceremony. At 8:39 am, with bursts of gongs, drums and suona, Xu led the guests and followed the guard of honor into the worship plaza. Behind the guests, locals holding incense and candles continuously joined the worship team and formed a long queue.

At 9:09 am, after the drums and gongs were struck nine times, the 800-person chorus performed the worship song. Xu read the oration in honor of Yan Emperor, praising his achievements in the establishment of Chinese civilization and expressing the Hunan people's hope to inherit the spirit of Yan Emperor.

Xu finished the oration and put a silk book in the incense burner. The oration ended with a salute before the group entered the Shennong Hall to worship the Emperor's statue and appreciate murals carved in the walls.

The worshippers then walked to Yeling square, where a grand opening ceremony of Meridian Gate was held.

The worship ceremony ended with a walk through the Yan Emperor Hall to the tombstone pavilion where the group paid respects to the mausoleum and held an unveiling ceremony of the elegiac monument.

Situated at Luyuanpi, 19 km west of Yanling county, Zhuzhou city, Hunan province, Yan Emperor Mausoleum is the holy place of the Chinese ancestor. It is one of the national key cultural heritages, a national patriotism education base, a national returned Chinese patriotism education base and one of the nation's AAAA tourist attractions.