Remembering the Yellow Emperor in Xi'an

In Xi'an, hundreds of young women, in elaborate traditional dress, gather at one of the city's ancient sites to celebrate the Shangsi Festival, or the Double Third Festival.

This ancient Chinese festival, celebrated on the third day of the third month of the Chinese calendar, sees people honoring the birth of the Yellow Emperor. In doing so the event has come to symbolize people paying their respects to their ancestors.

For these young women, the day is also symbolic as it has become an initiation, of sorts, into adulthood. In honoring their past through the reciting of poems and learning about their ancestors, many believe they will be better equipped to face lives as adults.

"This ceremony is very good. I've learnt a lot of Chinese traditions through it."

"The poem impressed me a lot. It teaches me how to act like a lady. For example, this sentence says that being an adult, we should get rid of childish behavior and embrace a new beginning."

Embracing traditions in Jinan

Meanwhile, in East China's Jinan, a huge ceremony is held in commemoration of Confucius. Scholars, students and local citizens are all invited to pay their respects.

Li Shuchao, student at Shandong University, said, "The rituals and the music were really touching. This allows us to pay our respects to our ancestors and our own culture."

Yan Binggang, scholar at Shandong University, said, "China is a state of proprieties and righteousness. Shandong is the home of Confucius and Mencius and as I'm from Shandong, I feel a responsibility to pass on these old traditions to the next generation.

The worship of Confucius was known as "the ceremony of the state" in ancient times, and can be traced back to 478 BC. The ceremony includes four major activities: music, song, dance, and symbolic offerings, but was abolished at the beginning of the 20th century during the period of the Republic of China. This is the first revival of the ceremony, and is set to be held every year.