The Xiandu Scenic Spot in Jinyun county – administered by the city of Lishui in East China's Zhejiang province – has been approved as an official venue for cultural exchanges between Chinese mainland and Taiwan, according to a news conference held by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on July 12.

This will be the sixth cross-Straits cultural exchange venue in Zhejiang and the first in Lishui.

It will jointly explore such events as the ritual of offering sacrifices to the Yellow Emperor, a practice which goes back as early as the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420). The Yellow Emperor, known as Huang Di, who lived more than 4,000 years ago, is believed to be a great sovereign and hero during his reign from 2698 BC to 2599 BC, as well as an ancestor of the Han people.

In 1998, Jinyun county resumed the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the Yellow Emperor and held ceremonies on Tomb Sweeping Day and the Double Ninth Festival every year.

A ceremony to offer sacrifices to the Yellow Emperor is held at the Xiandu Scenic Spot in 2019. [Photo/WeChat account: jinyunfabu001]

The Xiandu Scenic Spot, as the main venue for the ceremony, attracts Taiwan compatriots every year. In the 23 years since the ceremony resumed, more than 3,000 Taiwan people have paid visits to Jinyun.

Xiandu – literally "capital of the immortals" in Chinese – was named by the Tang Dynasty (618-907) Emperor Xuanzong, who reigned 712-756, after he lauded it as a gathering place for the immortals.

The 5.23-square-kilometer scenic area has five scenic spots: Dinghu Peak, Mini Red Cliff, Xiandu Taoist Temple, Niweng Cave and Zhutan Mountain.