On March 24th, the first Ancestor Worship Ceremony in the Hometown of the Taoist Ancestor of the World Taoist Federation and the first meeting of the First Council were held in Luyi, Henan. Representatives from 28 countries and regions came to pay homage and worship the ancestor, and jointly celebrate this cultural event. Ancestor Worship Ceremony Lao Tzu is a great Chinese thinker, philosopher, and the founder of the Taoist school. Taoism regards Lao Tzu as the Taoist ancestor. Every year on the birthday of the Taoist ancestor, believers from all over the world will gather in the hometown of the Taoist ancestor, Luyi, to celebrate the birthday of the Taoist ancestor. This year, on March 24th (the 15th day of the second lunar month) is the 2595th anniversary of the birth of the Taoist ancestor Lao Tzu. The World Taoist Federation held the first Ancestor Worship Ceremony in the Hometown of the Taoist Ancestor in the Taiqing Palace in Luyi, Henan. People in the Taoist circle at home and abroad and representatives of believers gathered together to pay homage and worship the ancestor, recall the sage virtue of the Taoist ancestor, and trace the cultural roots, which is of great significance. At the scene of the Ancestor Worship Ceremony, it was pure and solemn. Li Guangfu, the director general of the World Taoist Federation, and eight Taoist priests representing all members of the World Taoist Federation, including vice-directors from China and abroad, performed the sacrificial rituals such as offering incense, presenting tea, and offering sacrifices, and kowtowed to the Taoist ancestor Lao Tzu. Taoist believers and followers from all over the world followed the chief priest in kowtowing piously to the Taoist ancestor Lao Tzu. The great Tao is boundless and the same as in all countries. Taoist believers from different countries, using different languages, and having different skin colors all enjoy the grace of the Taoist ancestor and are grateful for the teachings of the Taoist ancestor. Jointly Seek Development Since October 2011, representatives of the Taoist circles in eight countries such as France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Mexico, and Singapore first proposed to the China Taoist Association that they hoped the China Taoist Association would take the lead in establishing an international Taoist organization. After more than ten years, the World Taoist Federation was officially established during the Fifth International Taoist Forum in 2023 with the expectations of Taoist believers all over the world. After that, each member unit adhered to the teachings of the Taoist ancestor, cooperated sincerely, and promoted various works in an orderly manner. At the first meeting of the First Council of the World Taoist Federation, the awarding ceremony of member units of the World Taoist Federation was held, and at the same time, letters of appointment were issued to the director general, vice-directors, secretary-general, and council members. The news of the launch of the website of the World Taoist Federation was announced. Li Guangfu, the director general, presented the "Work Report of the First Meeting of the First Council of the World Taoist Federation" (hereinafter referred to as the "Work Report"), reviewed and summarized the work carried out since the establishment of the World Taoist Federation, and put forward ideas and plans for future work. First, build a three-dimensional information exchange platform and do a good job in the basic work of information release and sharing; second, actively promote the exchange and interaction activities under the framework of the World Taoist Federation; third, enhance the international influence of Taoist culture and the World Taoist Federation. Vice-Director Liang Dehua informed about the progress of the "Taoist Scriptures Translation Plan" of the World Taoist Federation; the representatives of the friendly units of the "East-West Taoist Cooperation Plan" introduced the relevant situation; Vice-Director Jing Wei described the development vision and work plan of the World Taoist Federation and introduced the development situation of Taoism in Mexico; Councilor Ming Guang informed about the preparations for the 2024 Swiss Taoist Cultural Exhibition in the form of a video; Mr. Martin Palmer, the chairman of the World Alliance of Religions and Ecology Investment, put forward constructive opinions and suggestions on how the World Taoist Federation conducts exchanges and cooperation at the United Nations and enhances the international influence of Taoism; American Taoist scholar Stephen Bokenkamp introduced the international research situation of Taoism in a video and put forward prospects on how the World Taoist Federation conducts work in the cultivation of international Taoist talents. The participating guests expressed their opinions and offered suggestions, discussed the development plan and direction of the World Taoist Federation from different levels, and had a full discussion around the "Work Report", and the atmosphere was lively. Everyone expressed unanimous approval of the "Work Report", believing that the planning and outlook for the future work of the World Taoist Federation in the "Work Report" are based on reality and aimed at the long term, which is conducive to strengthening the unity and friendship among Taoist believers worldwide, promoting the exchange and interaction among member units, and jointly promoting the stable and orderly development of work; it is conducive to promoting exchanges and mutual learning with other religions and civilizations, fully demonstrating the unique ideological wisdom of Taoism, and contributing the power of Taoism to promoting world peace and development. This council meeting is the first exchange among member units after the establishment of the World Taoist Federation, which has guiding significance for the future work. Four consensuses were formed at the meeting: first, inherit and carry forward the excellent ideological concepts of Taoism to contribute the wisdom and strength of Taoism to building a community with a shared future for mankind; second, promote the contemporary and information-based communication of Taoist thought to enhance the international influence and appeal of Taoist culture; third, cultivate international Taoist talents and lay a solid foundation for the healthy inheritance of Taoism; fourth, build a multi-level exchange and dialogue mechanism platform to promote exchanges and mutual learning with other religions and civilizations. Everyone expressed that they will follow the章程 of the World Taoist Federation and carry out various works in an orderly manner in accordance with the planning ideas and meeting requirements proposed in the "Work Report" to contribute to the vigorous development of the World Taoist Federation. Beautiful Aspirations Li Guangfu, the Taoist priest, said that he hopes that all Taoist believers around the world will take this Ancestor Worship Ceremony in the hometown of the Taoist ancestor as an opportunity to actively build a Taoist belief community, work hand in hand to build a beautiful future for the World Taoist Federation and Taoism, and build a beautiful fairyland of harmony on earth. This is also the common aspiration of all the participating representatives. "I am very glad to come to the hometown of the Taoist ancestor to participate in this Ancestor Worship Ceremony. Luyi is the birthplace of the Taoist ancestor Lao Tzu, and Taoist thought also originated here, so Luyi is also the hometown of our ideological soul. Participating in this Ancestor Worship Ceremony is also a journey of our soul returning home." "Taoist culture is our precious spiritual wealth. The ideological concepts it advocates, such as respecting the Tao and valuing virtue, following the law of nature, being quiet and doing nothing, and adhering to simplicity and truthfulness, can play more positive roles in solving many problems such as between oneself and oneself, between oneself and society, and between oneself and nature in the new era." "The World Taoist Federation should enhance the centripetal force and cohesion of Taoist believers worldwide, give full play to the platform role, broaden the channels of exchange and cooperation, and continuously explore new paths and methods to carry forward Taoist culture and make Taoist culture shine with new brilliance in the new era." Aspirations turn into strength, time engraves the mission, and struggle writes a glorious chapter. It is believed that with the joint efforts of all Taoist believers around the world, the World Taoist Federation will thrive and develop, and Taoist culture will also take root and thrive.