Celebrate Chinese New Year at the Beijing Dongyue Temple Fair
- Celebrated: Feb. 2013
- Location: Beijing
Temple fairs are popular activities during the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration, also known as Spring Festival, in many parts of China, including Beijing. Happiness is celebrated at the Dongyue Temple Fair, one of the oldest temple fairs in Beijing.
Temple Fair Activities
The dates of the temple fair fluctuate with the Chinese lunar calendar, which falls in late January, February, or March. The fair always starts with a blessing ceremony, since the fair’s theme is about seeking blessings. Attendees pray for good fortune for the coming year. Dongyue Temple Fair dates back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368).
The temple and grounds around it are decorated with the character 福 (fu), which means blessing in Mandarin. People can buy fu cards to take blessing home with them. Since the temple is now a folk customs museum, an extensive array of activities centered on this theme take place.
Temple Ancient History
Construction of Dongyue Temple started in 1319 and was completed four years later. It was expanded during the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties. The temple covers 60,000 square meters with more than 600 rooms and halls. The temple was affiliated with Taoism during its days as a religious center. It is known as Dongyue, another name for the god of Mount Tai.
Converted to a folk customs museum in 1995, Dongyue Temple is located at 14 Chaoyangmanwai Avenue, a short walk from the Chaoyangmen subway stop on Line 2.
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