Overseas Chinese in west U.S. pay homage to Yellow Emperor

SAN FRANCISCO, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Overseas Chinese in western United States staged a grand ceremony Sunday in downtown San Francisco to pay their homage to Yellow Emperor, who is regarded as one of the common ancestors for all Chinese.

The Third Overseas Worship Ceremony for Yellow Emperor proceeded in traditional nine rituals including offering of baskets, hand-washing and incense-offering, and reading of memorial orations.

The ritual commemorations included drum-beating, nine-person-show lion dances, singing and dancing, performance of Chinese Kong Fu (martial arts), Peking Opera, Cantonese Opera, and a chorus show presented by various art groups of the Chinese community in the city.

Florence Fong, honorary president of the ceremony's committee, said the annual event is a platform for overseas Chinese to trace their root, seek their ancestors and culture, and express their desire that all Chinese belong to one ancestor -- the Yellow Emperor.

"The splendid culture of our ancestors embodies the courageous and tenacious spirit of the Chinese people," which encourages every Chinese, including members of overseas Chinese communities, to strive for realizing the Chinese Dream cherished in the hearts of the Chinese people for over 100 years, she told the audience.

She expressed the wish that her motherland will grow stronger and be more stable and prosperous through the joint efforts by all Chinese groups bonded by the same ancestor.

Kansen Chu, member of California State Assembly, said the ritual ceremony is of great significance, which reminds every overseas Chinese that they come from the same root and belong to the same ancestor.

He hoped that the celebrations of the Yellow Emperor will help boost the unity of overseas Chinese and make them play a greater role not only locally, but also on the world arena.

He said he believed that the overseas Chinese are able to make their due contributions to the future of China and do the right things for the interests of the Chinese people.

This year's ceremony highlighted the theme of "Same Root, Same Ancestor, Same Origin, Peace, Together and Harmony."

Chinese chronicles showed that Huangdi, or the Yellow Emperor, lived for a century from about 2697 BC to 2598 BC. He was credited with uniting divided tribal groups in ancient times and producing dozens of children whose offspring became today's Chinese nation.

He is universally recognized as a deity worshiped by Chinese people in the Chinese culture for thousands of years. Enditem