On September 23, the Emperor Yan Memorial Ceremony 2021 was held at the Mausoleum of Emperor Yan in Yanling County, Zhuzhou City. Mao Weiming, deputy secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and Hunan governor, officiated at the ceremony, and delivered the memorial oration in honor of Emperor Yan.
Governor Mao offered incense to Emperor Yan, the ancestor of the Chinese nation.
Governor Mao presented a flower basket to Emperor Yan.
The ceremony.
The ceremony.
The Emperor Yan Memorial Ceremony 2021, sponsored by the Hunan Provincial People’s Government, was held at the Mausoleum of Emperor Yan in Yanling County, Zhuzhou City on September 23. More than 2,500 people from all walks of life from inside and outside the province participated.
Mao Weiming, deputy secretary of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and Hunan governor, officiated at the ceremony.
Vice Governor Xie Weijiang chaired the ceremony. Provincial leaders Xie Jianhui, Peng Guofu, He Baoxiang, Chen Fei, Xu Xianhui, Chen Wenhao, He Anjie and Hao Xianwei, and Deng Qunce, secretary general of the Hunan Provincial People’s Government, attended.
Emperor Yan, or Yandi, also known as Shennong or “the Divine Farmer”, is esteemed as the founder of both the Chinese nation and its civilization. The Mausoleum of Emperor Yan is located in Luyuanbei, Yanling County, Zhuzhou City. For thousands of years, Emperor Yan strikes root in the hearts of Chinese descendants at home and abroad. In recent years, the cultural connotation of Emperor Yan has been continuously enriched and sublimated. His spirits of indomitable innovation, perseverance and pioneering, self-improvement, and dedication to others, are increasingly shining with new vitality. The Emperor Yan Memorial Ceremony has been included into the first batch of intangible cultural heritage list in China, and is reputed as one of “the world’s top ten most influential cultural events on seeking out roots”. This has greatly enhanced the sense of identity and belonging of Chinese at home and abroad, and effectively promoted Hunan's opening up to the outside world. The ceremony is the 11th public worship to Emperor Yan held by the People’s Government of Hunan Province since 1993.
At 8:42 am, the attendees and an honor guard walked from Quemen Square along the main avenue, and reached the memorial square, standing in order and waiting quietly.
The memorial ceremony started at 9:09 am. After drum and gong beats, gun salutes, and ritual music, 24 ritual persons offered sacrifices including livestock, grains, and fruits, and 529 choir members in ancient Chinese costume chanted an ode to Emperor Yan, to express Hunan people’s respect and admiration to the ancestor.
Governor Mao and other attendees presented flower baskets to Emperor Yan in turn. Then, all attendees made three bows to pay their respects.
At 9:39 am, all participants stood solemnly. Governor Mao delivered a memorial oration to eulogize Emperor Yan’s great achievements, and express Hunan people’s determination to revitalize outstanding traditional Chinese culture in the new era, implement the Three Highlands and Four New Missions Strategy, and construct a modern new Hunan.
After that, Governor Mao offered up the oration script to Emperor Yan by burning it. Gun salutes and ritual music sounded again. The ceremony came to a successful conclusion.
Later on grand ceremonies were also held to open the Meridian Gate of the main shrine, and unveil a memorial oration monument.
This article is from Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.
Translators: Yu Jiangjiang, Pang Yuehui
Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn
