The temple fair (miào huì 庙会) is a kind of special social activity in Beijing during Chinese
New Year.
It is a great time to have fun. Most of the traditional shows went on at the temple fairs, talk
shows (xiàng sheng 相声), banner shows (wǔ qí 舞旗), kongfu shows (wǔ shù 武术), lion
shows (wǔ shī 舞狮), Beijing Opera etc. There are many specialty snacks also. Many goods
sold in the temple fair have typical northern features, such as toys like diabolo (kōng zhú 空
竹), pinwheel (fēng chē 风车) and so on. It became a paradise for the kids. Fortunately this
century old tradition is still preserved today.
For our students, temple fair is definitely a cultural experience, because it shows Chinese
culture from a very detailed perspective. While enjoying the samplings of Chinese delicacies,
they can appreciate craftsmanship and artworks displayed by local artisans.
