3rd day of the 3rd month of the Lunar Calendar

In 1925, the On Lok Tsuen of Fanling built a Yellow Emperor Ancestral Hall to enshrine the Yellow Emperor, which also served as the community hall for discussing affairs among residents of different clans. Later, the temple fell into disrepair with few offerings, and On Lok Tsuen was designated by the government as a factory district and faced demolition. In the late 20th century, a resident of the Tang Clan purchased the property and rebuilt it into a 7-storey Yellow Emperor Hall, and from 2006 onwards began to held the ancestral worship ceremony. The ceremony revived the beliefs in the Yellow Emperor, and helped reacquaint ourselves with the ancient rites that has passed down through the ages.

Yellow Emperor

Legend has it the Yellow Emperor is the common ancestor of the Chinese race. His surname is Gong Sun, and was born at the Xian Yuan Mound at Xin Zheng City of Henan Province. In the ancient times the Xinzheng City was named “You Xiong”, literally “Bear Presence”; which is why the bear became a symbol for the Yellow Emperor. The main entrance of Yellow Emperor Hall is guarded by two white bears.

The ground level of the Hall enshrines the Yellow Emperor, the Red Emperor – the Emperor of Agriculture, and Confucius. The 6th floor enshrines the Three Great Buddhas and the Four Great Bodhisattvas, the Three Pure Ones of the Daoist religion and the three ancestors of the Complete Reality Taoism. The Hall reveres the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, and aims to caters to the needs of believers of different religious persuasions.

The ancestral worship ceremony is held on 3rd of the 3rd Lunar Month. Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor unified the Chinese Kingdom and built a great empire. He established a system of bureaucrats and guided the early people to create writing, establish a calendar system, built boats and carriages, plant crops and invent the South Pointing Chariot, setting the foundations of the ancient Chinese civilization.

Traditional rites

The ancestral worship ceremony at the Emperor Hall of Fanling follows Daoist traditions and has taken reference from the procedures and rites conducted at Xinzheng City of Henan Province. Both places commence the ceremony on nine-fifty in the morning, a number that has imperial connotations. The bell is tolled 9 times followed by 34 beats of the drum, the former representing the highest honours of the Chinese race, the latter represents the 23 provinces, cities, autonomous regions and special regions.

The officiating guests, donning yellow robes, enter the main hall led by the ceremonial master. They carry out the rite of “3 bows and 9 prostrations”, offer incense, followed by chanting of invocations that eulogize the greatness of the Yellow Emperor. 

On the table of offerings are five livestock (with the exception of chicken, the four remaining livestock – oxen, swine, sheep and fish – are replaced by props), five staple crops and five fruits. Each kind of offering presents a different colour which represents the five elements; together they symbolize prosperity. Nine tripods and eight baskets serve an assortment of food, in accordance with the ancient rites arranged for the imperial emperor. The guests then take turns to present different offerings including incense, oranges, water, fruit, tea, wine, precious stones, peanuts and emperor’s gowns. The rites are majestic and solemn.

Festivities

After the ancestral worship performances of lion and dragon dance are arranged to pay homage to the Yellow Emperor and entertain the guests. The Yellow Emperor Hall is located in the New Territories and therefore follows the tradition of “division of pork” common to major clans. This carries the meaning of ancestors bestowing food and fortune to the posterity. Over a dozen of suckling pigs are cut open and divided among members of the community to foster harmony. From what was observed from the ceremony in 2008, each ceremony requires significant expenses and therefore the Yellow Emperor Hall decided to organize a large-scale every 3 or 5 years; only small scale worship ceremonies are organized in the years between.