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China has celebrated the Qingming Festival, when it’s traditional for people to pay tribute to their ancestors and the heroes who died serving their country.

In central China’s Henan Province holiday makers enjoyed some of these varied traditions at the 2012 Kaifeng Qingming Culture Festival. Kaifeng is closely linked to Qingming Festival, with the famous ancient painting “The Riverside Scene at the Qingming Festival” capturing life in the Northern Song capital of Bianjing, which is today’s Kaifeng.

In the Qingming River Garden, the bustling scene depicted on the scroll painting comes to life. There is also a model of the scene in the excellent Henan Museum in Zhengzhou which I visited on my trip to Beijing, Tianjin, and Zhengzhou in December 2010 – January 2011.

This weekend marks the Qingming (Pure Brightness) Festival. Also called the Tomb Sweeping Festival, Qingming is one of the most important festivals in China with a history of over 2,000 years. During the Qingming Festival people visit the graves of their ancestors or beloved ones to clean them and leave offerings such as food and flowers to those who have passed. People will not cook on this day and only cold food is served.

To learn more about the Qingming Festival visit the China.org.cn China Wiki article Qingming Festival and see the China Daily Photos: Qingming Festival.

For some insights into how the festival is celebrated see the China Daily articles Martyrs remembered ahead of Qingming, Painting on eggs for Qingming Festival, Mountains and parks prepare for Qingming and Virtual memorial, and the Shenzhen Daily articles Celebrating a traditional day and Pak Tai Temple, Xixiang.