In Beijing, temple fairs, which are traditional cultural events featuring all kinds of Chinese folk activities, are one of the most important and grand activities during the Spring Festival.
The fairs are held at various ancient temples, so they are called "temple fairs." Originated along with the development of Buddhist and Taoist activities, temple fairs are a kind of mass gathering that integrates religious worship and entertainment.
But in recent years, most temple fairs deeply immersed themselves in commercial atmospheres with only snacks and artworks selling in temples, which caused thousands of visitors to queue for food but enjoy limited cultural performances.(www.hxen.com)
"The Beijing News" published an article saying that the organizers of temple fairs should preserve those traditional Chinese activities such as cross-talk show, traditional lion dance, stilt dance, rickshaw, and folk wedding performances.
Temple fairs should be added with more color to keep pace with the times, but the article points out that religious worship and folk activities are the soul of the long-tradition events.
Meanwhile, the article suggests that temple fairs as public celebrations to the New Year should stay away from commerce and local governments should make efforts to create a pure environment for visitors to enjoy Chinese folk arts and practice their religious worship.
