BEIJING, March 25-- All walks of life from Taiwan, especially youngsters, are welcomed to participate in an elaborate ceremony to pay homage to Huangdi, or the Yellow Emperor, an official said on Wednesday.

The legendary Emperor is considered the founder of the Chinese civilization and ancestor of all Chinese people, said Fan Liqing, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference.

The annual gathering at the emperor's mausoleum in Huangling County of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, occurs on Tomb-Sweeping Day, a traditional festival when Chinese mourn their deceased family members, on April 5.

The grand annual ceremony is an occasion for descendants of the Yellow Emperor both at home and abroad to "show respect for their ancestors and carry forward national ethos," Fan said.

Taiwan's participation will promote cross-Strait cultural exchanges, she said.

Yok Mu-ming, chairman of the New Party in Taiwan, will head a group of Taiwan ethnic minority youths to attend the ceremony for the fourth consecutive year. Previously, Taiwan political figures such as Lien Chan, Wu Po-hsiung, James C.Y. Soong and John Chiang also led Taiwanese delegations to the ceremony.

Each year at the annual ceremony, a drum is struck 34 times, once for each provincial-level region, including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. Then a bell is rang nine times, symbolizing the highest Chinese honor for the Yellow Emperor.

Li Jianhua, Party chief of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, began his week-long visit to the island on Tuesday, with a focus on trade cooperation.