Temple fairs: A tradition renewed
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-02-02 07:20

They always seemed to be together in old times temples and markets, culture and business, the yin and yang of life.

But the temple fair tradition didn't make a comeback in China until the beginning of the reform in the early 1980s. That was when people began earning some extra cash to spend. Things such as dangerous acrobatic shows and fake Western paintings were enough to generate good sales.

In 20 years, as the once-ubiquitous, baggy Mao jackets disappeared from the cities, more colour, more style, and more originality were brought into the tradition, and the fairs began spreading to more places and reaching more people.

Venues: from the old (and dirty) to the new

Activities: from getting extra food and drinks to more participating and sharing

Goods: from fake Mona Lisas to self-made Olympic toys

Shows: from stunt performances to colourful dances

China Daily

(China Daily 02/02/2006 page12)