Spring Festival an opportunity to experience traditions

Regardless whether it is Spring Festival time, I often visit Dongyue Temple near Dongdaqiao within Beijing's Chaoyang. Quieter times, beyond the major festivals, allow a close examination of the many booths dedicated to Taoist deities and philosophy, while busier periods are better for people-watching. It also features the informative Beijing Folklore Museum, again better visited when crowds have dissipated. Dongyue is known as "Temple of the Eastern Peak", the cosmological name for Mount Tai, easternmost and holiest of the Five Sacred Mountains of China. Dating from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the temple is organized around three main courtyards holding around 100 stone tablets or "stele" from the Yuan, Ming and Qing periods. What are really fascinating are the 76 "departments" or booths, each containing quite vivid statues and scenes including sympathy, pity, punishment, health and of course, wealth. The entrances to the alcoves attract crowds during the holiday period, with many also lighting joss sticks or hanging up red tokens along the raised avenue toward the main hall of the complex.