The Qingming Festival has become memorable as it is originated from the Cold Food Festival, which was widely celebrated before the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD).
In the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC), there was a senior official in Jin State named Jie Zitui. He was widely known for a story that he cut the flesh of his thigh and offered it to the then-prince of Jin, Chong'er who was starving and distressed. Later, when Chong'er succeeded the Duke, he started to reward those who had rendered him outstanding service in his journey to the top. But Jie Zitui was not one of them. Not one to jostle for merits and rewards, Jie resigned his position and lived with his mother in Jiexiu's remote Mian Mountain area. One day, the Duke was reminded in a complaint of the injustice to Jie. Filled with remorse, the Duke went to Mian Mountain to meet Jie, but he was refused a meeting. In desperation, the Duke ordered the surrounding area to be burned in an attempt to force Jie to come out. However, with a determined mind set against officialdom, Jie ended up being killed with his mother in the fire.
In memory of Jie, the Duke forbade the use of fire across the state on every anniversary of Jie's death. All food should be consumed cold for a month, hence the name of the festival. And the tradition of observing the Cold Food Festival in China has been passed down and spread throughout the world.
Gradually, ancestral worship became the main practice during the festival, an activity steeped in cherished Chinese values of filial piety, loyalty and integrity. In modern times, the festival has turned into a major occasion for commemorating ancestors and passing on these values to the young generation. On the day, compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan as well as from overseas will return to their hometowns and pay respects to their ancestors. The festival carries forward the tradition of ancestral worship and builds up our national identity and cohesion. The food available that day includes cold porridge, noodles, and starchy paste, as well as cooked food like green-glutinous rice and marshmallow. Offerings for ancestors include steamed paste in the shape of a swallow or in the image of a rabbit (symbolic of Jie Zitui, the filial son) intertwined with a snake (symbolic of his loving mother), date-stuffed cakes, and fine highland barley. Dozens of beverages are drunk on that day, including spirit freshly brewed in that spring, fresh tea and spring water. In Shanxi, many steamed cakes，named after Jie Zitui, will be prepared on that day; some families are also served swallow-shaped cakes, named "Zitui Swallow", which are made from flour and jujube pastes, and then strung together on willow twigs to dry out. When it comes to the Qingming Festival, local people will plant willow trees in front of, or in the backyard of, their houses; and young people will go out and wear crowns woven from strips of willow. In honor of Jie Zitui, Duke Wen of Jin renamed Mian Mountain as Jie Mountain. As the secluded retreat and resting place of Jie Zitui, Mian Mountain is the rightful cradle of the Cold Food (Qingming) Festival.
Many themed events are held in Jiexiu city, including Cold Food Exhibitions, temple fairs, Cuju (ancient Chinese football) games, archery, tug-of-war, and various dances inspired by Cuju, kites, cockfighting and legends about Mian Mountain.
The Qingming Festival acts as a bond for all Chinese. Mian Mountain in Jiexiu, the cradle of the Qingming (Cold Food) Festival, has played a leading role in carrying forward our ancestral worship tradition .At present, the Mian Mountain Scenic Zone boasts of its unique cultural heritages ----the cold food culture and the cultural values of loyalty and filial piety behind it.
