Taoist priests worship their ancestors by kneeling down on stone steps

Hundreds of Taoist priests kneel down on the stone steps on their way to the pilgrimage to Li Er at the golden-domed Taoist temple at the top of Laojun Mountain, Luoyang city, Central China's Henan province, May 15, 2016. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Hundreds of Taoist priests from across China knelt down on the stone steps to pay their respects to Li Er, the founder of Taoism, at a golden-domed Taoist temple at the top of the 2200-meter-high Laojun Mountain in Luoyang city, Central China's Henan province, May 15, 2016.

The mountain is the holiest place for the Taoist priests, since Li Er secluded himself at the mountain on the eighth day of a fourth lunar month in ancient times. Therefore, Taoist priests from around China come to pay their respects to their ancestor at the mountain every year.