Ancient emperor teaches modern-day lessons

An annual forum on the Yellow Emperor, regarded as a founding ancestor of the Chinese nation, has helped Xinzheng city and the Yellow Emperor culture enjoys a widespread reputation, the event's organizers said.

This year's forum, which starts today, will include a painting and calligraphy exhibition as well as a seminar on the qualities of the emperor.

The legendary ancestor is said to have been born in Xinzheng in Central China's Henan province more than 5,000 years ago and is also known as the initiator of Chinese civilization. Some Chinese classics, such as Records of the Grand Historian written by Sima Qian during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), included the Yellow Emperor.

Since the cultural forum started in 2006, 56 speakers have delivered 68 speeches at the events. They talked about the relationship between the Yellow Emperor and the Chinese nation as well as why it is necessary for Chinese to worship the ancestor and learn related culture.

Noted historian Li Xueqin said that commemorating and paying tribute to the Yellow Emperor showed the Chinese nation's respect of history.

Li Boqian, a retired professor from the School of Archaeology and Museology of Peking University, said remembrance of ancestors is a tradition in China and also forges important ties in keeping the country unified.

Wang Liqun, a literature professor at Henan University, said the Yellow Emperor is the common ancestor of the Chinese people and they should study the initiatives of the emperor's time.

Such speeches have helped Chinese learn more about the emperor, the culture he created and the role that culture plays in today, the forum's organizers said.

Guests at the 2009 forum paid much attention to rock paintings in the Juci mountain region as research on the images had been organized the previous year.

Li Xueqin said the discovery of the paintings provided a great chance to learn about the Yellow Emperor culture as well as other Chinese cultures in ancient times. It would help attract more Chinese and foreigners to visit the mountain and Xinzheng and help both the city and province prosper, he said.

Rock art expert Gong Tianfu said the pictures help make Henan more appealing and are another treasure of Xinzheng.

There are more than 3,000 rock paintings in the Juci mountains that were formed at least 4,000 years ago, Zhengzhou Daily reported.

Xinzheng is fewer than 40 kilometers from Henan's capital Zhengzhou and has a population of 786,000.

The city, home to Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, is an important transport hub in China. The Beijing-Guangzhou railway and high-speed railway, Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao expressway and national highway 107 pass through Xinzheng.

Historical and cultural celebrities born in the city include philosopher Han Fei of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) and Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) poet Bai Juyi.

Local officials said the city focuses on the development of its sectors of logistics, food, tobacco, biological medicines and advanced manufacturing, as well as improvement of traditional manufacturing. Xinzheng aims to become a thriving commercial and industrial city, they said.

songmengxing@chinadaily.com.cn