The temple fair is as always a first choice for merrymakers to celebrate China's biggest holiday, the Lunar New Year. And this year, a whirl of foreign entertainment is spicing up the traditional event.
The louder, the luckier. The gong ushers in a parade, performing a scene from China's famous ancient novel "A Dream of Red Mansions." It depicts an imperial concubine visiting her parents. But the actress is not Chinese but German.
Desiree Soehendir, a German student, said, "I am excited, it is so fun. Everyone dressed in unique dresses, very beautiful."
Desiree is now studying Chinese in Beijing. This is her first time to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. The performance seems to have become an instant hit at the Daguanyuan Temple Fair.
Elsewhere in Beijing, the temple fair goes beyond the "unique to China" features like arts and crafts, acrobats, and snacks.
In the largest park in the east side of downtown Beijing, Chaoyang Park's temple fair has turned into a "Sino－foreign joint venture." Bands and troupes from Britain, Brazil and Canada join the holiday spree. Exotic food from Turkey, Thailand and Germany are all standouts. And Spring Festival is no longer the sole province of the Chinese.
The temple fair dates back to the Tang Dynasty some 1,400 years ago. People used to visit temples to pray for a prosperous year and pay tribute to gods and goddesses. Drawn by the crowds, peddlers and entertainers would travel from surrounding areas to the open space in front of large temples. The religious function of the temple fair gradually faded. Today, entertainment and commerce hold sway.
(CCTV.com February 4, 2003)
