On the third day of the third lunar month of 2020,

at the foot of Juci Mountain, in the hometown of Yellow Emperor,

the Chinese nation worshiped their ancestors by the Zhen River.

This morning, the 2020 Ancestor Worship Ceremony in Hometown of Yellow Emperor was held in Xinzheng, Zhengzhou, Henan. Chinese all over the world appreciated the hometown of Yellow Emperor and worshiped their ancestors through the live stream with a solemn and sacred heart of gratitude.

The 2020 Ancestor Worship Ceremony in Hometown of Yellow Emperor was jointly sponsored by the People's Government of Henan Province, Henan Provincial Committee of the CPPCC, Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, All-China Federation Of Taiwan Compatriots, Association for Yan Huang Culture of China, and other units, and undertaken by Zhengzhou Municipal People's Government, Zhengzhou Municipal Committee of the CPPCC, and Xinzheng Municipal People's Government.

This year's ceremony continued to theme on "with a common root, ancestor and origin, we share peace and harmony", and focused on the topic of "may Yellow Emperor bless all Chinese people through the epidemic". It was presided over by Qi Xuchun, Vice Chairman of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, integrating a simple but solemn on-site ceremony, global online ancestor worship, television interviews, and other online and offline interactions. The scenes of Chinese people from all around the world worshiping ancestors were also shown at the ceremony, as well as talk shows of Kang Zhen, a doctoral supervisor at the School of Chinese Language and Literature of Beijing Normal University, Tang Zuxuan, Chinese medicine master and winner of "National Award for Outstanding Contribution to Traditional Chinese Medicine", and Li Bo, renowned cultural scholar and doctoral supervisor at the College of Liberal Arts of Nanjing Normal University.

In the soft morning breeze, flags fluttered in Hometown of Yellow Emperor. River flowed under the Xuanyuan Bridge and pines and cypresses stood in front of the Guli Ancestral Hall. Stepping into the Ancestor Worship Square, facing the stately statue of Yellow Emperor, and immersed in the solemn and sacred atmosphere, the feeling of reverence arose spontaneously.

At 9:34 a.m., the 2020 Ancestor Worship Ceremony in Hometown of Yellow Emperor officially kicked off.

The ceremony had 9 events on the agenda:

Firing Gun Salutes

With everyone standing solemnly, 21 gun salutes were fired. At the special moment when the whole country is fighting against the epidemic, the staggering gun salutes reflected Chinese people's firm belief against the epidemic.

Presenting a Flower Basket

At this holy and solemn moment, the flower basket represented the highest respect for the ancestor of the Chinese nation.

Burning Joss Sticks

Reflecting on the Yellow Emperor's great achievements and promoting the Yellow Emperor Culture is the source of strength of the Chinese nation and the shared will of domestic and overseas Chinese.

As joss sticks burnt, the clouds of incense rose, embodying the devotion and respect for ancestors of Chinese all over the world.

Worshiping

Three bows to the statue of the Yellow Emperor represented Chinese people's unlimited respect for the ancestor of Chinese civilization. Scenes of Chinese from the US, Australia, France, the UK, Zambia and other places around the world, as well as compatriots of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan worshiping the Yellow Emperor, were also shown at the ceremony.

Reading the Worshiping Text

"The Chinese civilization has a long history. Our illustrious ancestor's grace blesses the country. He brought us enlightenment and civilization. His great achievements will pass on for generations. He taught people to plow, graze, grow grains and breed silkworms. He established the rites of marriage and funeral, and developed Chinese calendar and medicine..." In the video, Qi Xuchun, Vice Chairman of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, read the worshiping text on behalf of millions of Chinese descendants.

Full of sincerity, the worshiping text expressed the shared aspirations of Chinese people around the world: inheriting the cultural traditions of Chinese ancestors and contributing to the development of the motherland.

Singing the Ode

"A great wind rises, oh the clouds are driven away. On this motherland of mine, I sing my heart and my joy. May the world be full of harmony, that is my wish and my dream..." A video of "Ode to the Yellow Emperor" was played at the ceremony. It was composed of video clips of a huge online choir, which was made up of Zhengzhou's children and adults, compatriots of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese.

The solemn melody, melodious rhythm, and classic lyrics expressed the devout heart, cohesion, and unity of Chinese people that share common ancestors.

Concerted Effort

"Concerted Effort" is a special rite for this year's ceremony. In late 2019 and early 2020, the COVID-19 epidemic raged. At the special moment when the whole country was fighting against the epidemic, General Secretary Xi Jinping personally deployed and directed the fight against the epidemic, medical personnel, polices and front-line staff fought bravely despite of difficulties, Chinese people united closely together, helped each other and overcame difficulties with concerted efforts.

Video clips were played at the ceremony, such as Chinese medicine master Tang Zuxuan introducing the use of TCM to fight the epidemic, compatriots of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and overseas Chinese praying for Wuhan and wishing for an early end of the epidemic, and the donation of epidemic prevention supplies to the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China during the "Concerted Effort" rite of the Yellow Emperor Worshiping Ceremony in Macao. These video clips showed the "Chinese strength" and conveyed Chinese people's faith in sure success.

Praying for China

The year 2020 will be a milestone. We will secure a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and achieve our first centenary goal. 2020 will also be a decisive year for poverty alleviation. We are marching towards rejuvenation and a better second century. Nothing can shake the position of our great motherland or stop Chinese people and the Chinese nation from progressing.

The holy flame obtained on Juci Mountain represents light, enlightenment, and that the Chinese nation has been flourishing over 5 thousand years. During the "Praying for China" part, Li Liancheng, representative of poverty alleviation leaders of Henan Province, Zhao Qingxia, representative of medical personnel that fought against the epidemic, and Zhang Yibo, children's representative, held the torches, which represented the inheritance of the national spirit. They raised the torches high to pray for China and cheer for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Harmony Between Human and Nature

From 5,000 years ago to the new era, from the foot of Juci Mountain to the hometown of Yellow Emperor, from the Yellow River to the Yangtze River, this is where civilization was born and where hope will continue. Located in central China, south of the Yellow River, Zhengzhou is not only deeply influenced by ancestors, but also connected to the world through "four silk roads".

With Zhengzhou at its center, the Air Silk Road is expanding into an international air cargo network that "links three continents and connects Europe and America". Along the Land Silk Road, routes of Zhengzhou-Europe International Block Train have covered more than 130 cities of 39 countries. The E-Silk Road, relying on the platform advantage of "cross-border e-commerce and industrial cluster", integrates global cross-border e-commerce information. On the Maritime Silk Road, a railway-water transport service center has been set up to build a "dry port".

During the "Harmony Between Human and Nature" part, the video on Henan's achievements of "four silk roads" was breathtaking. We could not help but feel that in the east of the world, in central China, on this ancient land, we can see both the past and the future.

The 2020 Ancestor Worship Ceremony in Hometown of Yellow Emperor concluded in a solemn and peaceful atmosphere.

As of 10:15 on the 26th, since the warm-up for the ceremony, the number of notifications, clicks and views totaled 2.21 billion worldwide, which kept rising.