Chinese people have always attached the most importance to the old calendar year. Throughout the year, wishing and praying, shopping, eating and drinking... seems to have become a Chinese carnival.

I vaguely remember that when I was a child, I had to go to the big market every Chinese New Year, visit the Baihushan Temple Fair, and buy new clothes. This kind of ritual sense of getting rid of the old and welcoming the new makes people feel that a year has really passed, and then go out to have fun during the Chinese New Year. It will not be blamed by adults, it is simply the happiest time for children. Every year seems to start with the lively temple fair. The rice cakes, candied haws, paper-cuts, window grilles, and lanterns preserved in memory are intertwined into the sweetest childhood dreams.

In addition to the temple fairs deep in our memory, the national Spring Festival temple fairs now have their own characteristics. See if you are familiar with them?

Beijing Ditan Park Spring Festival Temple Fair

Unprecedented grand occasion, Beijingers' "Along the River During the Qingming Festival"

I believe everyone is familiar with Ditan Park. It is the Ditan in Shi Tiesheng's "Ditan and Me" in the middle school textbook. During the Chinese New Year in the Forbidden City, in addition to experiencing some basic folk customs, you can also see various special intangible cultural heritage exhibitions. For example, last year it focused on cultural creation and invited the Forbidden City to participate in the exhibition. More than 200 works of 65 kinds, including representative cultural and creative products such as the palace doll series and the Yongzheng imperial batch series.

The Temple of Ditan Spring Festival Cultural Temple Fair is unique among the temple fairs in the capital, and has become one of the largest and most prestigious temple fairs. It receives more than one million visitors each time. Visiting temple fairs at the Temple of Earth has become a New Year's custom for the people of the capital. Here are traditional snacks from Beijing, such as Tea Soup Li, Quansu Liu, Baoduwang, Liji Baishui Yangtou, as well as soybean juice, coke rings, pea yellow, pot stickers, sausage enema, stewed fire and imperial imitation meal..... ..Storage makes you too full to eat. My experience is to go shopping and eat again. Don’t rush and take your time. Buy all kinds of New Year’s goods, watch operas, flower festivals, Tianqiao unique skills and other various cultures show activities. According to the practice in previous years, tickets are not expensive, usually 10 yuan. The general opening time is from the first day to the fifth day of the new year.

It is said that this year’s temple fair also specially recruited the “Lucky Rat” mascot. The lanterns alone took a lot of thought. The 200 handmade lanterns were all made by the villagers of the Lantern Factory in Donggong Village, Jiuduhe Town, Huairou District. Each has a patent. Now I can't wait to see the real face.

 

Recommended accommodation: GreenTree Inn Beijing Dongcheng District Beixinqiao Subway Station Guijie Express Hotel

Address: No. 56, Beixinqiao Toutiao, Lama Temple Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing

Reason for recommendation: The hotel is very close to Ditan Park. If you don’t want to walk, it’s only two stops by subway line 5. The decoration of the hotel is exquisite and simple, and luggage can be stored.

Nanjing Confucius Temple Lantern Festival

Roaming around the Qinhuai Lantern Festival, lighting up the Qinhuai Lantern Festival

Lotus lanterns, golden toad lanterns, mouse lanterns, rabbit lanterns... You can only really see the lantern festival when you come to the Confucius Temple Lantern Festival in Nanjing. "Qinhuai Lantern Festival is the best in the world", Nanjing Confucius Temple Lantern Festival, also known as Qinhuai Lantern Festival, is the only large-scale comprehensive lantern festival in China that integrates lantern show, lantern festival and lantern market. It is also the longest lasting, largest number of participants and largest in China The folk lantern festival has a history of more than 1,700 years. As early as the Southern Dynasties, it was unprecedentedly grand. After the early Ming Dynasty, the painted boats with lanterns hanging on the Qinhuai River became famous all over the world. In the local area, there is still a saying: "If you don't look at the lights during the Chinese New Year, you will not have a New Year; if you don't buy a lamp, you will not have a good New Year."

What are the highlights of this year's Lantern Festival? First, the core area has been extended to become Bailuzhou Park. This year, the focus is on the two exhibition areas of Confucius Temple and Bailuzhou Park. The second is the unmissable lighting ceremony. This is the most ceremonial part of the Qinhuai Lantern Festival. The lighting ceremony launched the "Online Lighting Assistance" activity. From watching lights to lighting lights in person, this year is an important change.

 

From Tianxiawenshufang, the first gate of the Confucius Temple, to the Lantern Shop and then to the Jiangnan Gongyuan, every place is lit with the ancient charm of the Qinhuai River for thousands of years. Jiangnan Gongyuan used to be the largest and most influential imperial examination room in Chinese history. After Mingyuan Building, cross the bridge eastward, and you will arrive at Bailuzhou Park, the largest park in the south of the city, where the lighting ceremony is also ushered in. Let's tie up lights, watch lights, buy lights, play with lights and make lights!

Accommodation Recommendation 1: Gefei Nanjing South Railway Station Daming Road Subway Station Hotel

Address: No. 1, Software Avenue, Yuhua District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province

Reason for recommendation: The decoration of the hotel is exquisite, and now there are many discounts for entering the store, and the price is simply super value. There is also a special plane pick-up service if you make an appointment in advance

Accommodation Recommendation 2: GreenTree Inn Nanjing Baijia Lake Express Hotel

Address: No. 138 Tianyuan West Road, Jiangning District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province

Reason for recommendation: The hotel has a beautiful environment and convenient travel, and Tianyuan West Road Station of Metro Line 3 is not far away.

Shanghai Yu Garden Lantern Festival

Linkage in different places, creative Yangtze River Delta

Seeing the theme of this year's Shanghai Yuyuan Lantern Festival, "Towards a Well-off Life in All-round Ways and Brilliant Chinese New Year", I couldn't help feeling "this tone is very modern". I don't know if it is everyone's favorite temple fair. This year's Shanghai Yuyuan Lantern Festival will start on January 20, 2020 , lasted for 33 days, and did not end until the eighteenth day of the first lunar month. The three major squares of Yuyuan Mall——Golden Square, Jiuqu Bridge Square and Central Square, were respectively named "Five Blessings, Happy Family", "Yangtze River Delta Harmony, One Strip of Water", " The three themes of "a well-off society and a better China" will present an immersive festival scene. The integration of the Yangtze River Delta, the "Belt and Road", the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai, the Qinhuai River in Nanjing, the Kunqu Opera in Suzhou, the West Lake in Hangzhou, the welcoming pine in Huangshan, Anhui, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the Fuxing train, the C919 aircraft, 5G and other elements are all Designed among colorful lamp groups.

Even so, the temple fairs in previous years were still very lively.

 

Moreover, the Yuyuan Lantern Festival will be linked with the Nanjing Qinhuai Lantern Festival and the Xi'an City Wall Lantern Festival, and it is possible to exchange lantern sets to celebrate the Spring Festival together.

Recommended accommodation: GreenTree Inn Shanghai Jingan District Qipu Road Tiantong Road Subway Station Express Hotel

Address: No. 861, Tanggu Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai

Reason for recommendation: Located in the city center, close to Yu Garden, the location is convenient, the lady at the front desk is very gentle and the service is good.

Shenyang Spring Festival Imperial Temple Fair

Pray for blessings and auspiciousness, antique exchange meeting

 

It finally looks like a temple fair here. In the center of Shenyang Huangsi Square, a 6.3-meter-high and 9-meter-diameter Golden Buddha is built to pray for blessings. This is a sacred place for Shenyang people to pray for blessings. "Wishing Tree", "Happiness Gate" and "Ping An Bridge" are placed in front of the family temple of the Xibe people.

Every Spring Festival, a lot of devout people pray for blessings in the mandala and make a wish by sticking a sign. There are thousands of people gathered. It is really a big scene of blessing.

 

In addition, in recent years, many people have come here to exchange antiques, and you can find many small exhibits here. Of course, the food here is indispensable. In addition to the Majia Shaomai and Laobian dumplings, which are popular in the Northeast, there are also delicacies from all over the country. Not a lot.

 

Recommended accommodation: GreenTree Inn Shenyang Huanggu District North Station Northbound Express Hotel

Address: No. 9 Changjiang Street, Huanggu District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province (1.7 kilometers east of the North Square of Shenyang North Station, 3 kilometers north of the West Square of Shenyang Station)

Reason for recommendation: The surrounding area is very convenient, the dining and entertainment facilities are too complete, and the service attitude is good

Hefei City God Temple Fair

Fragrance of Huangmei

 

Luzhou Town God's Temple is located between Huaihe Road and Anqing Road in Hefei City. Every Spring Festival, Luzhou Town God's Temple in Hefei City will hold a temple fair. Every day, there will be performances of "Rural Sound and Rhythm" Lu Opera Special, "Huangmei Fragrance" Huangmei Special, "Good There are also performances such as the special opera performance of "Xi Lian Tai", the special performance of "Siqin and Guanzhu" music, and the comprehensive special performance of "Northern Tune in Southern Tune". It has a lot of Huizhou cultural flavor.

Recommended accommodation: Gemei Hefei Sanxiaokou Town God Temple Xinghua Park Hotel

Address: No. 454 Huaihe West Road, Luyang District, Hefei City, Anhui Province

Reason for recommendation: This hotel is a little romantic, the price is moderate, the key location is super good, and it is very convenient to go anywhere

There are more interesting Spring Festival temple fairs too numerous to enumerate.

The customs of different places are different, and the highlights of the Spring Festival temple fair are also different.

For example, the southern city temple fair full of Hakka style, let's see you at the temple fair this year!