Compiled by Li Chaoli Taixu Palace became famous because of Qiu Chuji, and Yanjiu Festival flourished because of Taixu Palace. Every year on the 19th day of the first lunar month, a grand Yanjiu Festival is held in Taixu Palace in Qixia. The main purpose of Yanjiu Festival is to meet the "immortal" Qiu Zu to pray for protection. Legend has it that after Qiu Chuji's death, around the 19th day of the first lunar month (Qiu Chuji's birth day), he would return to his hometown in various different forms, and his disciples would spread Qiu Chuji's various "miracle traces" everywhere, which attracted everyone to worship at Taixu Palace. People used wine to worship Qiu Zu's deity, which was called "Yanqiu". Over the years, "Yanqiu" was mistakenly spread as "Yanjiu", which happened to be associated with the "nine" on the 19th day of the first lunar month, making Yanjiu Festival more popular. Taixu Palace is located five miles north of Qixia City. It was built in October of the second year of Jin Mingchang (1191) when Qiu Chuji returned to Qixia from Zhongnan Mountain in the east. In the eighth year of Jin Taihe (1208), Emperor Zhangzong granted the name "Taixu Temple" (also known as Taixu Palace). There are many buildings in the palace, which are magnificent. There is the largest "Tao" gate in the world, the magnificent Sanqing Palace, and the most famous is the "Qiu Zu Temple" where the statue of Qiu Chuji is enshrined. It is one of the birthplaces of influential Chinese Taoist culture. The traditional Yanjiu Festival mainly includes offering sacrifices to gods and immortals, doing Taoist rituals, and opening the eyes. Its basic activities are to do Taoist rituals, also known as rituals. Through doing Taoist rituals, people express their good wishes for blessing and warding off disasters. There are four basic contents of doing Taoist rituals: the Taoist rituals for blessing and welcoming auspiciousness, the Taoist rituals for the Three Officials, the Taoist rituals for transcending the Yin and the Beidou. In the morning, the Taoist rituals for blessing and welcoming auspiciousness are held to welcome auspiciousness; in the afternoon, the Taoist rituals for the Three Officials (namely the Heavenly Official, the Earthly Official, and the Water Official) are held to pray for blessings and eliminate disasters; in the afternoon, the Taoist rituals for transcending the Yin and the dead are held to transcend the dead; in the evening, the Taoist rituals for the Beidou are held to worship the stars and the moon. When chanting the sutra, the monks kowtowed after each sentence, showing great piety. In addition, there are also longevity dojo, auspicious dojo, wealth dojo, family harmony dojo, health and longevity dojo, academic success dojo, children's intelligence dojo, and abundant harvest dojo, etc. The scene is solemn and the ceremony is regular. Ten or dozens of people are needed to form a sutra master class. First, the candles in front of each statue are lit, and the sutra masters take their positions. The ceremony officially begins. First, the drum master beats the drum three times, then the sutra masters drum the instruments in their hands and play the Taoist music three times. Then the head Taoist priest offers incense to the main statue. Next, the high priest leads the singing 1, and the sutra masters follow the singing. This is repeated many times, but the worship style is different each time. Finally, the head Taoist priest kneels in the center to chant the sutra and incense, and the high priest leads the singing 1. All the sutra masters stand up and perform the three kneeling and nine kowtow ceremony, and then worship each other. The dojo is over. During the festival, various instruments in the temple were always accompanied by chanting and kneeling. The temple was filled with incense and the chanting was clear, which made people feel calm. In addition to the temple, the opening ceremony of Yanjiu Festival was also very prosperous. People believed that the statues and crafts that had been opened were spiritual and could bless peace. There were also activities such as touching the stone monkey, praying for good luck, and playing the money eye during the Yanjiu Festival. The most lively were the yangko and dragon and lion dances from all over the country. The onlookers were packed and stretched their necks to watch. When night fell, the local people would beat gongs and drums to perform the traditional "playing lanterns through flowers" in Taixu Palace. It usually consisted of 24 people. The performers held the flower pots in their right hands and the colorful silk tied around their waists in their left hands. They danced in an orderly manner, and the flower pots rose and fell, in and out. The red candlelight in the flower pots made the colorful paper flowers particularly gorgeous, like a dancing colorful dragon, which was very spectacular. It can be said that the Yanjiu Festival has become an important carrier for spreading Taoist culture and traditional folk culture. As Qixia's beautiful mountains and waters become famous, it attracts people from all over the world.