Recently, a press conference held by the Provincial Government News Office announced that the 2024 (Year of Jia Chen) Ceremony in Honor of Fuxi, the Founding Ancestor of Chinese Culture, will take place on June 21st at the Fuxi Square in Tianshui. Following the conference, officials from Tianshui City provided detailed information about this year's ceremony honoring Fuxi in response to questions from reporters.

Question: What is the purpose and theme of this year's Ceremony in Honor of Fuxi?

Answer: This year's Ceremony in Honor of Fuxi is dedicated to the theme of "Continuing the Chinese Cultural Heritage and Strengthening Cultural Confidence," with the aim of "Inheriting the excellent traditional Chinese culture and building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation." It serves to commemorate the founding achievements of Fuxi, the ancestor of Chinese humanities.

Question: How many agendas are there for this year's Ceremony in Honor of Fuxi? On which specific day does it take place?

Answer: The Ceremony in Honor of Fuxi consists of 6 agendas, officially commencing at 9:50 AM on June 21st.

Question: Which guests are invited to this year's Ceremony in Honor of Fuxi?

Answer: This year's Ceremony plans to invite 500 guests based on the criteria of high prominence, significant influence, and strong representation. The main invitees include leaders from the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, national ministries, provincial leading groups, and military districts. Representatives from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese communities will also be invited, along with experts, scholars, exemplary individuals, and representatives of prominent figures from various sectors nationwide. Additionally, outstanding representatives from Gansu Province, particularly those involved in earthquake relief efforts in Jishishan, have been newly included.

Question: Besides the Ceremony in Honor of Fuxi, what other activities are there in Tianshui?

Answer: During the festival period, a series of activities are scheduled, including the "Fuxi Culture Forum," the Cross-Strait Calligraphy and Painting Art Exchange Exhibition, the folk ceremony of offering sacrifices to Fuxi at Guatai Mountain, the ancestral pilgrimage for Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan compatriots, and overseas Chinese to the hometown of Xi Huang, and the provincial cultural tourism industry project promotion conference. These activities are more diverse, prominent in theme, and inclusive of broader social participation compared to previous years.

Question: Could you briefly introduce the history of the Ceremony in Honor of Fuxi?

Answer: Tianshui is the birthplace and origin of Fuxi culture, with a long-standing tradition of worshiping Fuxi. The official Ceremony in Honor of Fuxi was first organized by the Tianshui municipal government in 1988. Since 2005, the ceremony has been hosted by the Gansu Provincial People's Government. In 2006, the "Taihao Fuxi Ceremony" was listed as one of the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage items. Starting from 2013, the Ceremony in Honor of Fuxi has been jointly organized by the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, and the Gansu Provincial People's Government, with the Tianshui municipal government as the organizer. Since 2014, the ceremony has been held concurrently with Taiwan's ceremony to jointly commemorate Fuxi across the Taiwan Strait, and it has been held continuously for 10 sessions to date.

Wang Guoxian, Deputy Secretary of the Tianshui Municipal Party Committee and Mayor, delivered a keynote address.