If there is one thing we all know (and definitely appreciate!) it’s how quiet Beijing generally becomes during the Spring Festival. Of course, quiet can also mean it’s a little more difficult to find fun and interesting things for the whole family to enjoy.
But difficult certainly doesn’t mean impossible, especially in Beijing! One fun way to celebrate the new Year of the Pig is to attend a temple fair, which have been traditional throughout China for hundreds of years.
Beginning as religious celebrations, they gradually became cultural and commercial as vendors would crowd around the temple entrances to take advantage of the custom of worshippers.
Now, due to the large crowds that attend, many ‘temple’ fairs are actually held in parks, and have become focused on shopping and eating. It’s definitely worth attending for the atmosphere, and you have the opportunity to see traditional folk arts and crafts in action.
See below for our roundup of some of the temple fairs you can enjoy in the coming weeks. Most fairs run for 5 days, and we recommend going on the 3rd or 4th day to avoid the worst crowds! Wrap up warm and don’t forget to take reusable shopping bags and chopsticks!
Note: Staff at Dongyue Miao (Dongyue Taoist Temple) and Taoranting Park (home of Changdian Temple Fair) confirmed to us that these venues are not holding temple fairs this year.
Ditan Park 地坛公园
One of the most popular temple fairs; expect large crowds here.
February 5th – 9th 6am – 8.30pm
Subway Line 2 Yonghegong Station (雍和宫) Exit A, then walk north to the south gate.
Grand View Garden 大观园
A fair with a more traditional feel due to its setting in a lovely Chinese garden (albeit one built as a movie set in the 1980s). Because the garden is quite small it also gets very crowded, especially on New Year’s Day.
February 5th – 9th 8.30am – 4.30pm
Subway Line 4 Taoranting Station (陶然亭) Exit A, then a short cab ride.
Longtanhu Park 龙潭湖公园
The park itself is very spacious, so walking around is a bit less stressful than other fairs!
February 5th – 9th 8.30am – 5pm
Subway Line 5 or 7 Ciqikou Station (磁器口) Exit C, then a short cab ride to the park’s north gate.
Tongzhou Grand Canal Park 运河文化广场
Doesn’t have much of a traditional feel but handy for those in the east of Beijing. Take a refreshing walk along the Grand Canal as well!
February 5th – 9th 9am – 5pm
Subway Line 6 Beiyunhe West Station (北运河西) Exit A, then a 5-minute cab ride.
Go not only for the fair but for a bracing winter walk to caves and scenic viewpoints in the mountains (weather permitting)!
February 5th – 10th 8am – 5pm
Subway Line 4 Beigongmen Station (北宫门) Exit A1 or A2. Then take bus 346 to the terminus at Fenghuangling.
Tianjin Ancient Culture Street Spring Festival Decoration Market 天津古文化街
If you don’t like the crowds of a Beijing temple fair, why not see all the same things and stock up on decorations in advance! The street is permanent but in the month leading up to Spring Festival there is a papercut market and a decorations market where you can find all types of decorations and get characters and couplets written for you by calligraphers.
Now – February 5th 9am – 4.30pm
Fast train to Tianjin from Beijing South Railway Station (30 mins) then take a 10-minute cab ride. Or take a scenic walk by turning right from the station forecourt along the river about 1.5km to the wooden bridge with the glass steps. Ancient Culture Street is across the bridge.
Do you plan to head to any of the fairs listed above? Or have you been before, and feel like you don’t need to go again? Let us know in the comments below. Have a question about anything Cultural Keys related? Use the contact form at the bottom of the page. However you choose to get in contact, we always love hearing from you!
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– Cultural Keys
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Cultural Keys helps you access, understand and enjoy life in China through traditional Chinese culture. Click here to read more about Cultural Keys and what we can do for you, your school, company or group to help you get more out of your time in China!