2012 Guide to Spring Festival Temple Fairs in Beijing

Spring Festival is on the doorstep which can only mean one thing: temple fairs! For the uninitiated, temple fairs have a long-held tradition in China, stretching all the way back to the Tang and Song Dynasties, which typically feature lively performances such as shadow plays and cross-talk, as well as the sale of traditional snacks, arts and crafts. During Spring Festival, Beijing's streets may be eerily desolate, but this is when the city's parks truly spring to life. Expect hordes of people, young and old, a sea or red and gold decorations and lots of hustle and bustle. If you're staying put in Beijing during the break, then visiting a temple fair may be the perfect window for experiencing one of China's longest standing traditions.

Photo: mafengwo.net

1)  Beijing City International School Temple Fair – Jan 15th
BCIS is holding its fourth annual temple fair at the school's gym on Sunday, January 15th from 11:00-13:00. The event will feature performances by students and 50 vendors will be on site selling a large selection of Chinese arts and crafts as well as traditional Chinese food and snacks.

Add: 77 Baiziwan Nan'er Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing
地址: 北京市朝阳区百子湾南二路77号
Tel: 010 8771 7171
Price: free entry
Website: www.bcis.cn

2)  Longtan Park Spring Festival Temple Fair 2012 – Jan 22-29th
Longtan Park will host its 29th temple fair (龙潭文化庙会) from January 22nd to 29th. This fair will once again be a vivid and lively event, with eight to nine national level performance troupes set to delight audiences with their traditional performances. There will also be a wide range of sports activities, folk arts and winter related events such as snow sculpture exhibitions, bobsleighing and more. And there'll be no shortage of dragons this year, as the whole park will be decked with dragon-motif decorations.

Add: Longtan Park, Chongwen District, Beijing
地址: 北京市崇文区龙潭湖公园
Price: 10 RMB
Getting there: take Subway Line 5 to the East Gate of the Temple of Heaven Station, Exit B. Walk 200 meters southwards to Longtan Road, and then east to the north gate of Longtan Park.  

3) Ditan Park Temple Fair – Jan 22-29th
The 27th Ditan Park Temple Fair (地坛春节文化庙会) kicks off on January 22nd, offering a wide range of traditional performances, exhibitions, cultural events and culinary delights. This will be one of the biggest and most varied fairs in the capital, with over 200 performances scheduled to entertain crowds on four stages. The fair will also feature a special arts and crafts zone, where visitors can buy anything from Beijing clay sculptures and sugar figurines, to straw woven goods and woven clothing. Almost 1000 security personnel and police will be keep order during the week long event, so you can imagine the volume of crowds they're expecting.

Add: Andingmen Waidajie, Dongcheng District, Beijing
地址: 北京市东城区安定门外大街地坛公园
Time: 09:00-17:00
Price: 10 RMB, 8 RMB for group tickets
Tel: 84258979 (group bookings), 64214657 (single bookings)
Getting there: take subway line 2 or 5 to the Lama Temple station (雍和宫), and get out at Exit A. The park's south entrance is just a short walk over the bridge.

4)  "Yang" Temple Fair at Shijingshan Amusement Park – Jan 23-29th
Shijingshan Amusement Park has already been decked out with dragon decorations in preparation for the 12th "Yang" Temple Fair (北京洋庙会). Each year, the fair tries to incorporate international elements into the events programme, in the hope of attracting visitors from the city's foreign community. This year, the fair will debut a snow and ice carnival with "5 continent" themed floats featuring performers.

Add: Shijingshan Amusement Park, Baojiao (north exit of Subway Line 1), Shijingshan District, Beijing
地址: 北京市石景山区地铁八角游乐园站北 北京石景山游乐园
Time: 09:00-16:00
Price: 10 RMB

5)  Changdian Temple Fair in Taoranting Park – Jan 23-27th
One of the longest running temple fairs in the city, this one will feature all the typical things like Chinese opera performances, traditional snacks, arts and crafts etc.

Add: 19 Taiping Street, Xuanwu District, Beijing
地址: 北京市宣武区太平街19号
Price: 10 RMB single entry; 8 RMB group tickets
Getting there: Bus No. 40, 102,106

6)  10th Chaoyang Park Carnival – Jan 23-28th
Visitors to Chaoyang Park's Carnival (朝阳国际风情节) will be greeted by 50,000 ice sculptures and performance troupes from over 20 different countries including the UK, France, Holland, Russia and Greece. There will also be a number of musical performances and an odd-sounding French performance of jumping "bird beasts". Go check it out to find out more.

Add: 1 Chaoyang Gongyuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District, Beijing
地址: 北京市朝阳区朝阳公园南路1号
Price: 10 RMB
Getting there: Bus No. 31, 117, 302, 406, 608, 703, 705, 731, 758, 750, 815, 831, 834, 847

7)  Royal Temple Fair at Old Summer Palace  - Jan 23-29th   
The Royal Temple Fair (皇家庙会) at the Old Summer Palace is back again this year, featuring the usual array of Chinese performances, costumed staff and traditional crafts.

Add: 28 Qinghua Xilu, Haidian District, Beijing
地址: 北京市海淀区清华西路28号
Price: 10 RMB
Getting there: Subway line 4, Yuanmingyuan Stop

8)  Honglou Temple Fair at Daguan Garden  - Jan 23-27th
Puppet shows, shadow plays and traditional performances are just some of the highlights of this year's Honglou Temple Fair (红楼庙会). Of course there'll also be plenty of arts, crafts and snacks for sale as usual.

Add: Daguan Garden, 12 Nancaiyuan Jie, Xuanwu District, Beijing
地址: 大观园 北京市宣武区南菜园街12号
Price: 40 RMB
Getting there: Bus No. 59, 122, 717, 721, 806, 939
 

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