A ceremony to worship Sima Qian is held in Hancheng City, Shaanxi Province, March 31, 2017. [China.org.cn]

The birthplace of China’s first historian is trying to transit from an industrial city to a cultural attraction by holding a grand worship ceremony every year among several other events.

This year, thousands of people including representatives of Indian, Egyptian, and Greek cultural institutions, descendants of Sima Qian, scholars and tourists gathered in Hancheng City, Shaanxi on March 31 to honor Sima Qian, the great historian of the Han dynasty.

Sima Qian is lauded for his Records of the Grand Historian, which offers a general history of the country, covering more than 3,000 years. In modern China, he is regarded the greatest historian of all time.

The ceremony started with a drum performance featuring 120 people, followed by the offering of flowers, flower buns, fruit and the cereal.

For inheritance sake, two guests leaded hundreds of children in reciting a famous chapter of Records of the Grand Historian, A letter to Ren An. In the letter, Sima Qian explains his decision to finish his life's work instead of honorably committing suicide following his castration for "deceiving the emperor."

A total of 100 descendants of Sima Qian knelt before their ancestor’s statue in respect and gratitude as the ceremony approached its end.

"Sima Qian Worship Ceremony" is one of China's National Intangible Cultural Heritages, according to Wang Hui, the deputy mayor.

Wang said Hancheng is set to attract thousands of tourists, leveraging the influence of Sima Qian. They have arranged twelve tourism events every month this year to turn the industrial city into a cultural attraction.

"I think the idea of holding various tourist activities is great, and I will be interested to come here again in some months. I am going to visit the 'Tulip Festival' next by the way," said a tourist who attended the ceremony.

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