A grand sea sacrifice ceremony is staged in Daishan county, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province on June 16. [Photo/zhoushan.cn]

A grand sea sacrifice ceremony was held in Daishan county, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province on June 16.

The ceremony was composed of two parts, offering sacrifices to the sea and singing and dancing performances, and marks the beginning of the fishing moratorium.

The event, which has been held annually in Daishan since 2015, has become a major cultural and tourism event in the city.

Historical records show that the tradition of offering sacrifices to the sea in Daishan started in the Tang (618-907) and Song dynasties (960-1279).