A grand ceremony is held to adore and worship the ocean in Daishan county, Zhoushan. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

Ocean worship is a kind of sacrifice rite to adore and worship Dragon King and other ocean gods, and is one of the most distinctive folk customs in Daishan county, Zhejiang province.

In recent years, Daishan has been working to further promote this ancient folk custom by holding a grand festival in June with the aim of extending gratitude for gifts from ocean and advocating the idea of living in harmony with nature. On June 16, 2005, the county organized the first China Ocean Cultural Festival and as of 2018, the event has been held for 13 consecutive years.