A portrait of the two gods He and Ho, who lived in Tiantai Mountain in the Tang Dynasty. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

The 2021 Hehe Culture Global Forum will be held in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province from Dec 9 to 10.

Taizhou's Tiantai county is believed to be the birthplace of Hehe culture.

According to local folklore, two monks named Hanshan and Shide once lived a secluded life in the Tiantai Mountain in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). They were usually depicted in paintings holding a box and a lotus stem.

Hanshan was bestowed the title of He God during the rule of the Emperor Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and Shide was conferred the title of Ho God.

Because He and Ho are auspicious figures in Chinese culture, the two gods became a symbol of  unity and harmony for hundreds of years.