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Time to embrace the joy of spring while paying respects to the past during the Qingming Festival on April 4! Historically known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, this Chinese festival has roots dating back over 2,500 years. It is a time when people visit the graves of their ancestors to clean the tomb, make offerings, and pay their respects. Beyond this solemn tradition, the Qingming Festival is also a celebration of life; it auspiciously coincides with the blossoming of spring. So, let's not only remember our roots, but also celebrate the cycle of life on this day of remembrance, reflection, and respect. Honor your ancestors this Qingming Festival and immerse yourself in the jubilance of spring!
<div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>500s</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Qingming Origins</div><div class='timeline-text'>The rudiments of Qingming Festival dates back to the Tang Dynasty, introducing tomb-sweeping practices in honoring ancestors.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1000s</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Confucian Influence</div><div class='timeline-text'>During the Song Dynasty, Confucian teachings solidified Qingming as a crucial festival emphasizing filial piety and respect for the deceased.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1600s</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Downfall and Recovery</div><div class='timeline-text'>Qingming practices briefly waned during the Qing Dynasty due to the Manchurian rulers' disapproval but later regained widespread recognition.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>1966</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Cultural Revolution Impact</div><div class='timeline-text'>The Cultural Revolution in China halted Qingming rituals, with the communist government discouraging practices they deemed superstitious.</div></div></div><div class='timeline-item'><div class='timeline-left'><div class='timeline-date-text'>2008</div></div><div class='timeline-center'></div><div class='timeline-right'><div class='timeline-text timeline-text-title'>Public Holiday Status</div><div class='timeline-text'>Qingming was reinstated by the Chinese government as a public holiday, signifying a resurgence of traditional customs and practices.</div></div></div>
<div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>1</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Organize a family gathering</h3><p class='facts-text'>Bring together the entire family and spend quality time together. Enjoy good food, share stories of your ancestors, and remember their lives and teachings.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>2</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Arrange a spring picnic</h3><p class='facts-text'>Celebrate the beginning of spring by having a picnic amongst the blooming flowers. This not only pays homage to the life-giving cycle of nature, but also creates an atmosphere of joy and laughter.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>3</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Plant a tree in honor of your ancestors</h3><p class='facts-text'>Pay tribute to your forbears by planting a tree or flower in their memory. Watch as it grows and blossoms – a living symbol of their continued presence in your life.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>4</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Draw or paint a family tree</h3><p class='facts-text'>Take the time to draw out your family tree, tracing back your lineage as far as you can. This is a beautiful way to visualize the connections between past and present and honor all those who came before us.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-header'><h3 class='facts-number'>5</h3></div><div class='facts-text-wrapper'><h3 class='facts-title'>Create a memory box</h3><p class='facts-text'>Collect mementos that remind you of your ancestors; old photos, letters, trinkets, etc. Place these items in a special box to be brought out and shared each Qingming Festival. This tangible connection to the past can help keep the memory of our ancestors alive for future generations.</p></div></div>
<div class='whywelove-item'><div class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>A</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 class='whywelove-title'>Honoring our Ancestors</h3><p class='whywelove-text'>Qingming Festival provides us a chance to remember, honor, and respect those who came before us. It's a moment for personal reflection and the expression of love towards our ancestors. By cleaning their graves or creating a memory box, we can physically connect with them and keep their memories alive.</p></div></div><div class='whywelove-item'><div class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>B</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 class='whywelove-title'>Celebrating Nature's Rebirth</h3><p class='whywelove-text'>With the Qingming Festival falling in the springtime, it symbolizes renewal and rebirth. It's a time when flowers bloom and nature springs back to life. By arranging a spring picnic or planting a tree, we celebrate life's restored vibrancy that our ancestors are also part of.</p></div></div><div class='whywelove-item'><div class='whywelove-letter-cont'><div class='whywelove-letter'>C</div></div><div id='why-we-love-main-cont'><h3 class='whywelove-title'>Fostering Family Bonds</h3><p class='whywelove-text'>Qingming Festival is an opportunity for families to come together in unity. It fosters stronger family bonds as we share stories of our ancestors, draw our family tree, and spend quality time together. It's about understanding our roots and appreciating the importance of family.</p></div></div>
<div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-number-wrapper'><p class='facts-number'>1</p></div><div class='facts-core-content'><h3 class='facts-title'>Qingming Festival is accompanied by various festivities</h3><p class='facts-content'>Apart from the solemn practice of tomb-sweeping, Qingming Festival also involves kite-flying, planting willow branches, and consuming Qingtuan, a sweet green rice ball delicacy.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-number-wrapper'><p class='facts-number'>2</p></div><div class='facts-core-content'><h3 class='facts-title'>Qingming is an opportunity to acknowledge family hierarchies</h3><p class='facts-content'>During the tomb-sweeping ceremony, the members of the family pay their respects according to seniority, which further emphasizes the importance of respect for their elders and the deceased in Chinese culture.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-number-wrapper'><p class='facts-number'>3</p></div><div class='facts-core-content'><h3 class='facts-title'>The festival incorporates a balance of yin and yang</h3><p class='facts-content'>In Chinese philosophy, the concepts of yin (representing night, cold, death) and yang (day, warmth, life) reflect the natural balance of the world. The practices of Qingming — honoring the dead (yin) and celebrating spring's life-affirming arrival (yang) — embody this important philosophical principle.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-number-wrapper'><p class='facts-number'>4</p></div><div class='facts-core-content'><h3 class='facts-title'>Qingming can influence agriculture</h3><p class='facts-content'>The Qingming Festival often signifies the instructive time for farmers to directly sow or transplant rice seedlings, marking it as an agrarian calendar event as well.</p></div></div><div class='facts-item'><div class='facts-number-wrapper'><p class='facts-number'>5</p></div><div class='facts-core-content'><h3 class='facts-title'>Qingming rituals extend to virtual platforms</h3><p class='facts-content'>With the advancement of technology, some Chinese have started to use virtual platforms to pay their respects to their ancestors. These digital memorial spaces allow for remote relatives to participate in Qingming practices, bridging distances created by modern lifestyles.</p></div></div>
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