Ceremony brings people back to their roots

A ceremony to pay respects to ancestors from both Chinese mainland and Taiwan was held at Emperor Yandi Mausoleum in Gaoping county, Shanxi province, on May 22.

More than 8,000 local residents and some 2,000 individuals who had traveled from Taiwan, along with 300 Chinese people living in foreign countries and regions attended the province's largest cross-Straits dialogue event.

They had come to worship Emperor Yandi, one of the earliest rulers of the Chinese nation and the God of Agriculture.

Chen Ming-fei, a 65-year-old Taiwan businessman, led 115 residents to Gaoping county for the event.

"We have roots in the Chinese mainland and are closely linked with each other," he said.

Apart from the ceremony, young people from the group also visited local historical sites, furthering their understanding of traditional Chinese culture.

Gaoping county, birthplace of Emperor Yandi, is home to many important historical sites and provides the setting for many famous folk tales.

The county has held cross-Straits cultural and tourism investment promotion events since 2016, furthering economic and cultural communication between Shanxi and Taiwan.