The 2026 grand ceremony honoring Yu the Great was held in Shaoxing on April 20. Nearly a thousand participants, including descendants of Yu the Great, compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, overseas Chinese, and representatives from various sectors of society, took part in the event.

The 2026 grand worship ceremony is held at the Mausoleum of Yu the Great. [Photo/IC]

The ceremony started at 9:50 am with the highest form of sacrificial ritual, the "grand ancestral sacrificial ceremony". It featured 13 procedures, including sounding horns, offering floral tributes, burning incense, playing ceremonial music, reading the sacrificial address, singing the "Ode to Yu the Great" and presenting ritual dances.

Yu the Great is honored as the founding ancestor of the Chinese nation. The ceremony held at his mausoleum is a vital part of traditional Chinese culture. In 2006, it was inscribed on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

In recent years, Shaoxing has established a system to preserve and promote the spirit of Yu the Great. Since the end of 2017, it has compiled and published the Map of Yu's Legacy in Shaoxing, the Map of Yu's Legacy in Zhejiang, and the Map of Yu's Legacy in China, along with related guidebooks.