Xi’an schoolchildren celebrate Spring Festival with ancient rite of passage

A special ceremony was held by Hancheng Lake in Xi’an, capital city of Shaanxi province on Feb. 9, with 60 children between the ages of 6 and 10 participating in the solemn First Writing Ceremony. Also called the Qi Meng (Enlightenment) Ceremony, the event was once essential for all students before being admitted to school in ancient China. Teachers traditionally give participants a red dot on their foreheads to signify the opening of the “wisdom eye.”