The culture of veneration of ancestors is deep-rooted in the Chinese philosophy, literature and history, representing succession of the family spirit and legacy of Chinese culture, and reflecting the significance of identifying one's attribution, especially on the occasion of the Qingming Festival, or the Tomb-Sweeping Day, a traditional Chinese festival for remembering the dead and worshiping ancestors.

On the Tomb-Sweeping Day which normally falls on April 5 each year, people would enjoy spring outings, clean gravesites and pray for those who have passed away.

As Chinese people pay respect to their ancestors on this day, there are many references about the Qingming Festival in the traditional philosophy and literature.

"In the Analects of Confucius, there's a phrase saying, 'To be prudent in performing funerary rites and to remember our ancestors'. Ancestor veneration represents deference, continuation and inheritance of our ancestors' contributions. The veneration of the dead is in worshiping your ancestors. It represents inheriting the family spirit and the good family tradition. Emperor Yan and Emperor Huang are the legendary ancestors of the Chinese nation, who represent the legacy of China's national culture and the establishment of national cohesion," said Liu Bo, a research fellow with the National Library of China's Ancient Books Library.

Besides the worshiping of ancestors, the Qingming Festival is also associated with the development of agriculture, indicating grains germinating and growing and people full of vigor and vitality.

"I think the significance of observing the Qingming Festival is about finding our attribution, mainly about where we come from. Culture is about our way of life. Any segment of our life can be a form of the content of culture, an integral part of culture. The traditional Chinese culture is etched in our blood and mindset. Our blood is the blood of the Chinese nation," Liu said.