China Holds Fuxi Memorial Emphasizing Reunification; KMT Official Attends Taiwan Ceremony

The Chinese Communist Party held its annual public memorial for Fuxi, the mythical ancestor of Chinese civilization, in Gansu province, with officials emphasizing "anti-separatism and promoting reunification." The event, broadcast by state media, was co-hosted by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and other government bodies.

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anti-separatism and promoting reunification

Simultaneously, in Taiwan, a "Cross-Strait Joint Sacrifice to Fuxi Ceremony" was held at the Sanchong Xianse Temple, presided over by Kuomintang (KMT) Vice Chairman Lee Chien-lung. Lee, who serves as a temple director, stated that the event, now in its 13th year, is purely a religious activity. He asserted that people on both sides of the strait share the same culture, ethnicity, and bloodline, and that many deities revered in Taiwan originate from mainland China.

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We report an extraordinary observation of ground motion in Japan after the moment magnitude 9 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake attributed to a multiplate-interface slip event triggered by a shear wave that travelled to the Earth’s core and back.

KMT Vice Chairman Lee Chien-lung's participation in the event drew criticism from some scholars who accused him of providing a platform for China's united front narrative in Taiwan. However, Lee dismissed these concerns, stating that religious activities should not be overly sensitive and that people have the freedom of religious belief. He reiterated the shared cultural heritage, citing deities like Mazu, Guan Yu, Shennong, and Fuxi as examples of common roots.

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Its overall length is similar to that of mainland Japan (~3,000 km), exceeding the mainshock rupture length by 6‒7 times and more than doubling that of the 2004 great Sumatra Earthquake.

The ceremony in Gansu was attended by former KMT Chairman Andrew Hsia, while Gansu Governor Ren Zhenhe read the memorial text, which explicitly called for "anti-separatism and promoting reunification." Lee explained that the Sanchong Xianse Temple has hosted the joint Fuxi ceremony for 13 years, and that while they usually visit the ancestral temple of Shennong Great Emperor in Shanxi province on the 8th day of the fourth lunar month, the proximity to Fuxi's ancestral temple in Tianshui led to the joint worship event.

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I think we should be aware of the fact that there could be this potential triggering of an event many minutes after [an earthquake’s] main shaking has passed.