STORY: Legendary Chinese ancestor Fuxi commemorated in China's Gansu
DATELINE: June 24, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:08
LOCATION: TIANSHUI, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the ceremony
2. STANDUP (English): WEN JING, Xinhua correspondent
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YONG JICHUN, Professor at Tianshui Normal University
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): COLETTE DEREMBLE, Tourist from France
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LEE YILIN, Student from Fu Jen Catholic University

STORYLINE:

Fuxi, the legendary ancestor of the Chinese nation, was commemorated on Thursday by people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

A ceremony was held in the city of Tianshui, northwest China's Gansu Province, which is considered to be the ancestor's birthplace.

STANDUP (English): WEN JING, Xinhua correspondent
"This year, over 1,000 people gathered here for the grand ceremony. Who is Fuxi? How do Chinese people pay their tributes to the legendary ancestor? Let's find out through our camera!"

Fuxi is believed to have been the inventor of writing, fishing and hunting. Worshipping Fuxi is a tradition in China with a history of more than 2,000 years. The ceremony was listed as a form of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YONG JICHUN, Professor at Tianshui Normal University
"As the legendary ancestor of the Chinese nation, Fuxi had a lot of inventions and creations. Many traditional Chinese cultures are related to his creations. The Chinese nation has a long history in the commemoration of Fuxi."

The commemoration was followed by a series of practices and rituals.

More than 1,000 people from more than 10 countries and regions attended the ceremony.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): COLETTE DEREMBLE, Tourist from France
"I was impressed by two things. The first thing is that the architecture is very well-conserved.
The second thing is that I was impressed to see so many people, so many Chinese, would come here and worship."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): LEE YILIN, Student from Fu Jen Catholic University
"This is my first time to come to the mainland and participate in such a grand ceremony. I think it's really touching to finally be able to come to the birthplace of Fuxi and participate in such a grand event.
I think the commemoration of Fuxi by people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait is quite meaningful. We are all Chinese descendants."

A similar annual event was held at the same time in New Taipei City on Thursday, marking the 10th year that the legendary figure has been commemorated simultaneously on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tianshui, China.
(XHTV)