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 Rat is to attend a temple fair, which have been traditional throughout China for hundreds of years.
Updated January 25th 14:00 – Chinese news sources are reporting that temple fairs across Beijing are being cancelled due to concerns about the Wuhan coronavirus. Cultural Keys can confirm the closure of the following temple fairs / festive events:
Badachu
Baiyun Temple (closed until further notice)
Changping Lantern Festival (at Reignwood Pine Valley)
Ditan Park
Fenghuangling (Phoenix Mountain)
Grand View Garden
Hongluo (Red Snail) Temple (the whole temple is closed until further notice)
Longtanhu Park
Shijingshan Amusement Park
Tongzhou Canal Park
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. All start on January 25th (New Year’s Day) and run for five or six days. A small fee is charged for entry, usually between 10-25RMB. We recommend avoiding the first day which will have the worst crowds! Don’t forget to purchase considerately and take reusable shopping bags and chopsticks to avoid adding to the mountains of trash generated at each event!
Held on the traditional Liulichang Antiques Street, this fair has been here since the Ming dynasty!
Subway Line 2 Hepingmen Station (和平门).
The least traditional of Beijing’s fairs, this is billed as an international carnival.
Ditan Park 地坛公园One of the most popular temple fairs; expect large crowds here.
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.
Subway Line 4 Taoranting Station (陶然亭) Exit A, then a short cab ride.Longtanhu Park 龙潭湖公园A typical temple fair held in a spacious park!
Until January 30th 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
This event doesn’t have much of a traditional feel but it’s handy for those in the east of Beijing. Take a bracing walk along the Grand Canal as well!
Until January 29th 9am – 5pm
Subway Line 6 Beiyunhe West Station (北运河西) Exit A, then a 5-minute cab ride.
See eight Buddhist temples as well as enjoying the temple fair!
Go not only for the fair but to visit beautiful Longquan Temple and have a bracing winter walk to caves and scenic viewpoints in the mountains (weather permitting)!
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 many of 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 where you can find all types of paper decorations and get characters and couplets written for you by calligraphers.
Until January 24th 9am – 4.30pm
Fast train to Tianjin from Beijing South Railway Station (30 mins) then take a 15-minute cab ride. Or take a scenic walk by turning right from the station’s south square along the river about 1.5km to the wooden bridge with the glass steps. Ancient Culture Street is across the bridge and the decorations market is to the left of the main entrance.
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 on Facebook or Twitter. For more information about anything listed here, please contact us or use the form below to let us know your specific requirements. We look forward to hearing from you!
Photo Credits
– 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!