A prominent Taiwanese visitor to China paid tribute to his Mainland roots Friday, the official China Daily newspaper reported.
James Soong, the visiting chairman of Taiwan's People First Party paid his respects at the Mausoleum of Huangdi in a symbolic move recognizing his Chinese origins, the China Daily said.
In legend Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor, is considered to be the founder of the Chinese civilization as well as its first ancestor. His mausoleum is in Huangling County in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
At a solemn service that lasted about half an hour, Soong and his 50-member delegation made offerings of flowers, fruit and wine in front of a giant portrait of Huangdi. Soong himself read out a commemorative article, saying: "Chinese descendants should not forget their ancestral roots and both sides of the Straits should live in peace like a family," the China Daily said.
In a speech after visiting the mausoleum, Soong said he and the PFP delegation had come to worship Huangdi for the sake of "finding our own roots in our ancestral home."
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
