"The Fenyin Houtu Temple (today's Wanrong Houtu Temple) is known as the 'Ancestral Temple of China' and 'the crown of all temples in the land.' Nine emperors, including Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, and Emperor Zhenzong of Song, personally came to offer sacrifices here 24 times," introduced Xie Jie, head of the Wanrong Houtu Temple Cultural Relics Protection Office in Yuncheng, Shanxi. On the 23rd, representatives of overseas Chinese-language media from the United States, Italy, France, Argentina, Portugal and other places visited the Wanrong Houtu Temple.

Representatives of overseas Chinese-language media visit the Wanrong Houtu Temple.

　　Houtu is a deity widely worshipped among the Chinese people, the god who governs all land. Originating from the ancients' worship and deification of the land, Houtu belief and sacrifice from the pre-Qin period to the Qing dynasty witnessed historical vicissitudes and cultural inheritance, embodying an agrarian nation's deep affection for the land.

　　The Wanrong Houtu Temple is located in Miaqian Village, Ronghe Town, in that county, where the Yellow River and the Fen River converge. On the high cliff historically known as "Suishang" (Fenyin Sui, today's Miaqian Village, Wanrong County) stands a magnificent complex of ancient temple buildings. Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor swept the ground and set up an altar here to sacrifice to the Holy Mother Houtu.

Representatives of overseas Chinese-language media visit the Wanrong Houtu Temple.

　　"The Wanrong Houtu Temple was built during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han and was a royal temple," Xie Jie introduced. Historically, the Wanrong Houtu Temple was repeatedly flooded and destroyed by the Yellow River. During the Tongzhi period of the Qing dynasty, the local county magistrate Dai Ruzhen relocated and rebuilt the temple north of Miaqian Village, which is the present Houtu Temple.

　　At present, the Wanrong Houtu Temple retains the mountain gate, side-by-side stage, offering hall, Xiang Pavilion, main hall, Qiufeng Tower and the East and West Wuhu Halls, among other buildings. Preserved in the temple are the stele "Inscription on the Pairing of the Two Sages of Fenyin" composed and written by Emperor Zhenzong Zhao Heng of Song, the Ming dynasty recarving of the Jin dynasty stele "Stone Chart of the Temple Image of the Great and Illustrious Houtu Earth Empress Who Follows Heaven and Emulates Earth, Established in Ronghe County, Puzhou," the Xuanyuan Sweeping the Ground Stele, and the Yuan dynasty carving of Emperor Wu of Han's "Autumn Wind Song" stele, among others.

Wanrong Houtu Temple.

　　According to the Zizhi Tongjian, during the Han dynasty, sacrifices to Houtu became institutionalized. From the Han to the Song, the Fenyin sacrifices were always rituals comparable in scale to the Feng and Shan sacrifices at Mount Tai. During the Jin and Yuan periods, they changed from royal sacrifices to sacrifices offered by dispatched officials; during the Ming and Qing periods, the royal ceremony of sacrificing to Houtu was moved to the Temple of Earth in Beijing, and the Wanrong Houtu Temple became a venue for folk sacrifices.

　　Traditionally, after the Wanrong Houtu Temple became a folk sacrificial venue, local villages jointly held sacrificial ceremonies, with the right to preside rotating among the villages. On the 18th day of the third lunar month and the 5th day of the tenth lunar month each year, the spring and autumn Houtu sacrificial ceremonies are held, along with spring and autumn temple fairs, drawing pilgrims and tourists from surrounding areas.

　　Folk Houtu sacrifices are mostly for blessings and longevity, warding off disasters and misfortunes, and continuing the family line, reflecting the simple life aspirations of the people. "Local people believe in the Houtu Goddess and have the custom of making vows and fulfilling them," Xie Jie said. During the temple fair, the three stages arranged in the shape of the character 'pin' in the temple host consecutive temple opera performances, mainly 'opera to thank the gods' and 'opera for making vows,' creating a lively scene.

　　The Qiufeng Tower is the tallest and most magnificent building in the Houtu Temple, named for housing the stele of Emperor Wu of Han's "Autumn Wind Song." Emperor Wu of Han personally came here six times to sacrifice to Houtu and left behind the timeless masterpiece "Autumn Wind Song." The Qiufeng Tower has three stories; the internal beam framework connects with the beams and purlins of the projecting porches and surrounding corridors on each level into a whole. The lower story's dougong brackets are of the three-step single-arm type, imposing and elegantly sturdy in form.

Representatives of overseas Chinese-language media visit the Wanrong Houtu Temple.

　　An ancient official road passes beneath the Qiufeng Tower, namely the Zhang Yi Ancient Road. In ancient times this official road was a vital route between Qin and Jin. Legend has it that in former years Zhang Yi traveled this road to enter Qin and become prime minister. Several representatives of overseas Chinese-language media, full of interest, walked the Zhang Yi Ancient Road together and posed for photos with the Houtu Temple and Qiufeng Tower, which are deeply stamped with historical and cultural imprints.

　　According to folk custom, the Houtu deity is the earth god who breeds all things, and the Wanrong Temple is regarded as the ancestral temple of Houtu temples throughout the land and the source of royal sacrifices to Houtu. In recent years, people from all walks of life have come here attracted by its fame to seek their roots and trace their ancestry.

　　Wang Ping, deputy editor-in-chief of the French Overseas Chinese News, said that Houtu sacrifices are not merely to satisfy spiritual needs but also reflect the people's yearning for a better life. "Houtu sacrifice, this ancient sacrificial culture, is an excellent traditional Chinese culture and the inheritance of the roots of the Chinese nation."