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Dancers perform at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Shaoxing Yushun Culture Inheritance and Development Season in Keqiao district, Shaoxing, on Nov 2. [Photo/Tide News]

The 2026 Shaoxing Yushun Culture Inheritance and Development Season opened on Nov 2 at Shunwang Temple in Keqiao district, Shaoxing. The event showcased recent achievements in preserving and promoting Yushun culture and included the unveiling of the "Lanting Forest Breathing" outdoor cycling route. It will run through Nov 8, featuring temple fair markets and other activities.

Every year around the 27th day of the ninth lunar month — believed to be the birthday of Emperor Shun, a legendary ancient Chinese ruler — the Shaoxing Shunwang Temple Fair is held at Shunwang Temple. The fair is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage project.

At the opening event, four publications were unveiled: Chronicles of Shunwang Temple, Commemorating Emperor Shun: An Oral History of the Shaoxing Shunwang Temple Fair, Temple Fires, a Millennium of Shun's Virtue, and Grandpa Shunwang's Birthday. Together they present academic research and historical materials related to Yushun culture.

The event also saw the release of a draft illustrated booklet on Shun virtue culture, the opening of the Shunde Chengyi cultural and creative store, and the signing of agreements on a batch of "Siyuan Plan" projects. The newly launched "Lanting Forest Breathing" cycling route is a roughly 46-kilometer loop connecting 14 villages across the three towns of Pingshui, Wangtan and Jidong, offering cyclists a ride through green mountains and clear waters while taking in the natural scenery and Yushun cultural heritage of the southern mountainous area.