HONG KONG - An ceremony held at Hong Kong's AsiaWorld-Expo to worship common ancestors of Chinese nation attracted more than 8,000 devout followers on Sunday, the Qingming Festival in Chinese lunar calendar.

The Qingming, also known as Tomb-sweeping Day, is a traditional festival for Chinese to tend their family graves or by other means to pay respect to their deceased family members.

More than 8,000 Chinese from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and other overseas countries and regions attended the ceremony which was conducted strictly in line with the rules and norms adopted by Confucian Temple to make the followers remember their root and be grateful to the ancestors.

Regina Ip, a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong and chair of Hong Kong's New People's Party, officiated at the ceremony sponsored by Sage Education Association, a non-profit charity to promote traditional Chinese culture in Hong Kong.

In front of a giant picture of Ancestor of Chinese Nation Memorial, Ip, wearing a suit of traditional Chinese garment, paid respects to temporary memorial tablets of legendary Chinese rulers in pre-dynastic times such as Yellow Emperor.

Ip was also accompanied by a couple of assistant priests who served the sacrifice food and wine, played worship music and chanted oration.