Eastern Chinese city marks 2,575th birthday of Confucius

A ceremony was held Saturday in Quzhou, eastern China's Zhejiang province, to commemorate the 2,575th anniversary of the birth of the ancient Chinese sage Confucius.

Traditional rituals, such as offering silk, cleansing the ceremonial cups, and presenting the cups, were performed during the ceremony. 

Kong Lingli, the 76th direct descendant of Confucius, served as the leading master of ceremonies, as people from all walks of life participated in a series of tribute-paying rituals, such as presenting the five ceremonial grains and the Four Treasures of Study, reciting sentences from the "Analects of Confucius," and offering flower baskets.

In 1129, the descendants of Confucius moved to Quzhou along with Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) from Qufu in Shandong province, as they fled from an invading army. Quzhou has since been dubbed the "Home of South Confucius."

Quzhou has held memorial ceremonies to celebrate the birth of Confucius every year since 2004.