Nine counties to jointly mark day of Chinese ancestor Huangdi

    This year, nine counties will jointly hold a grand, non-governmental ceremony to commemorate Huangdi, one of the legendary ancestors of the Chinese Nationality, the organizer announced on Tuesday.

    The ceremony will be held in Huangling County in northwest China's Shaanxi Province on the day of the Double Ninth Festival, which is the ninth day of the ninth month in the traditional Chinese Lunar Calendar and falls on October 19 this year.

    At the ceremony, representatives from the nine counties will carry out memorial activities with the characteristics of different ethnic groups, and they will will plant memorial trees together with representatives from overseas.

    The nine counties are Linzhou, of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Shilin, Yulong, Ning'er and Menglian, of Yunnan Province, Donglan, of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Liping, of Guizhou Province, Changyang, of Hubei Province, and Sunan, of Gansu Province.

    The ceremony is co-sponsored by the Association for Folk Literature and Art of China, the Office of the Learning and Historical and Cultural Data Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and the government of Huangling County.

    Traditionally, the Double Ninth Festival is regarded as a day for the elderly. In cities, old people celebrate their day by climbing hills or doing other kinds of outdoor activities.

    According to Chinese legends, Huangdi and Yandi were leaders of the two largest tribes about 5,000 years ago, in the northern and southern parts of ancient China. For thousands of years, Huangdi and Yandi have been regarded as two ancestors for the Chinese People.