01 The Eight Ancestral Temples continue tradition with "harmony" and "vitality"

Ancestral temples are places where people worship and offer sacrifices to ancestors or sages, and are symbols of family glory. The Heshun Ancient Town, covering an area of 17 square kilometers and with only over 2000 households, is home to ancestral halls with eight surnames: Cun, Liu, Li, Yin, Jia, Zhang, Yang, and Chuan. They are either simple and elegant, grand in grandeur, or a blend of Chinese and Western styles. The temple is filled with plaques and couplets, exuding a rich cultural atmosphere. Reflect the historical inheritance and cultural heritage of major families.

The Eight Ancestral Temples in Heshun were not only places where ancestors were respected, ancestors were respected, and ethnic harmony was maintained. In the past, they were also the location of schools, making great contributions to the development of Heshun's education and the cultivation of a large number of talents. "Harmony" and "liveliness" are two distinct characteristics of Heshun Ancestral Temple culture.

Harmony: The eight major ancestral temples in Heshun coexist and prosper together. There is no one surname that is dominant, and all surnames can build ancestral temples. It emphasizes the importance of persuading people with virtue, valuing harmony, and living in harmony. The construction style of ancestral temples also reflects the integration of various cultures.

Live: Eight ancestral temples are well preserved. The Eight Surnames have a relatively complete genealogy and still maintain the tradition of continuation to this day. Every year during the Spring and Autumn Festival, people from the eight major surnames gather in their ancestral temples from all directions to hold grand ancestor worship activities. As a hometown of over 30000 overseas Chinese, Heshun is home to many overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese who return to their hometowns to pay respects to their ancestors and sweep graves during the Qingming Festival, to show their patriotism and love for their homeland.

02 The family ritual of worshipping ancestors with deep affection during the Qingming Festival

Ancestral worship is an essential and solemn ceremony during the Qingming Festival in Heshun every year. During the Qingming Festival, every household in Heshun carries out ancestor worship and tomb sweeping, which is not only a household event, but also a heartfelt and grand family gathering. From all walks of life, people of all ages and genders gather in the ancestral temple, where candles and incense are burned and smoke is shrouded. People kneel and offer sacrifices, recite sacrificial texts, follow the old rules, follow the prescribed procedures, and perform their rituals as if they were ceremonial.

In the process of ancestor worship, one should be cautious and pursue the future. The elders of the family often tell the stories of their ancestors and the history of the family, passing on the fine traditions and glory of the family to the younger generation. Let the hearts of every tribe be filled with gratitude towards their ancestors, inspiring a shared expectation and sense of responsibility for the future of the family.

03 The Renewal of Inheriting the Past and Opening Up the Future in the Integration of Tradition and Modernity

The peaceful Qingming ancestor worship activities not only demonstrate the cohesion of family unity, but also the continuation and inheritance of excellent traditional culture. The Qingming Festival ancestor worship has surpassed simple commemoration and become an important carrier for promoting and inheriting the fine traditions of the family.

The Qingming ancestor worship activities and ancestral temple culture in Heshun Ancient Town are the link and bridge connecting ancient and modern times.

With the changing times, the cultural heritage of Heshun Ancestral Temple, which has carried the elegant charm for hundreds of years, is facing new development opportunities. Its value in architecture, family, history, and other aspects continues to emerge and be utilized, becoming another source of vitality for the development of Heshun's cultural and tourism industry.

Nowadays, the ancestral worship activities of the Heshun people not only retain the traditional sense of ceremony and reminisce about the ancestors, but also incorporate many new elements, such as reviewing clan rules and family teachings, selecting moral models in the family, and so on. The Qingming ancestor worship activities in ancient ancestral temples have a richer connotation.

With the passage of time, I believe that the harmonious ancestral temple culture will surely carry forward and rejuvenate in the fusion of tradition and modernity, writing its own more brilliant chapters.