First Man

毕生花

A colorful ceremony honors the prehistoric Yellow Emperor， known as the “forefather of all Chinese”

炎黃子孙齐聚仙都，祭祀轩辕黄帝

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t was solemn， transcendent， and powerful， and it made me feel proud to be Chinese，” said Ji Deqiang， an attendee at the twice-annual Grand Worship Ceremony of the Xuanyuan Yellow Emperor in Xiandu， Zhejiang province—“especially，” he added， “since the Emperors surname was also Ji.”

Known as the father of Chinese civilization， Xuanyuan， or the Yellow Emperor， is a mythical ruler said to have invented animal husbandry and united the warring tribes in what eventually became todays China. Throughout history， emperors， nobles， and ordinary families alike vied to be acknowledged as direct descendents of the prehistoric patriarch， but his cult fell out of favor after the PRCs founding.

Since the 1980s， the Emperors image has been gradually revived to create a symbol of common heritage among mainland， Taiwanese， and overseas Chinese through half a dozen folk celebrations staged across China. Usually held around the Qingming “Tomb Sweeping” Festival in spring， these festivals commemorate many achievements of the sage ruler whose legend has been handed down over thousands of years.

Among his accomplishments， the Yellow Emperor is said to have traveled to the Eastern Sea， where he discovered the secret to immortality and flew to heaven as a dragon from a mountain in Xiandu. Every spring and fall， locals present the “five grains，” wine， and the Jinyun sesame seed cake—a local delicacy—to speed their illustrious “ancestor” on his final journey， even releasing a balloon dragon into the air every three years. To add to the festivity， local volunteers dress in sunny yellow robes and tote ceremonial flags bearing the names of all the tribes who owe their existence to the nations first sovereign.