Ancestor Worship Custom (Xiasha Ancestral Rite)

The Xiasha ancestral rite is the traditional ancestor worship of the Huang clan in Xiasha village, Futian, Shenzhen. Xiasha sits just across a river from Hong Kong, its residents all surnamed Huang, with many descendants living overseas; the rite has carried on for close to a thousand years, binding the clan and its kin abroad.

Worship is held twice a year: the spring rite honours only the ancestral hall, while the autumn rite pays respect at both the hall and the ancestral graves. The ceremony is solemn and is followed by a great poon-choi banquet for the clan, a grand display of Lingnan lineage culture.

In 2011 the Xiasha ancestral rite was named in the third batch of the national intangible-heritage list, an important thread of clan identity and overseas connection rooted in Shenzhen.

The rites take place at the Huang clan ancestral hall and graves in Xiasha village, Futian.