The Cross-Straits Yan Emperor Folk Ancestor Worship Ceremony takes place in Gaoping, May 8. [Photo/Yellow River News]

The Cross-Straits Yan Emperor Folk Ancestor Worship Ceremony was held at the Yan Emperor Mausoleum in Gaoping, a county-level city in North China's Shanxi province, on May 8.

The ceremony was sponsored by the Chinese Yanhuang Culture Studies Association, Shanxi Yan Emperor Culture Studies Association and Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang.

Government officials from Gaoping, Jincheng and Shanxi, residents and businesspeople from Taiwan working and living in Shanxi, people from economic and trade circles and locals attended the ceremony. Taiwan compatriots and the global Chinese community worshiped their ancestors through an online worship platform and videos. 

Gaoping is rich in cultural resources related to the Yan Emperor, a legendary pioneer of ancient Chinese agriculture, including relics, stone inscriptions, classical records, historical legends, and folk customs, and it has formed a unique and complete cultural system revolving around the Yan Emperor. 

Gaoping has held the ancestral worship ceremony annually since 2016, with the purpose of promoting the culture and spirit of the Yan Emperor. It has become a platform for reconnecting cross-Straits culture, promoting Gaoping's and Shanxi's image, and boosting cross-Straits economic, trade and cultural exchange and cooperation.