It's New Year's day (Chinese New Year) and temple fairs and street fairs are in full swing and will continue for the next few days.
This year we decided to try Bai Yun Guan (白云观， White Cloud Temple) on the west side of the city, since the last time we went, 4 years ago, this had been an interesting fair with a fair amount of traditional activities. This time around we were not so successful however: by 11am when we arrived a 500m queue for tickets had formed, corraled by megaphone wielding organizers with plenty of support from fire, police and ambulances. It all looked too much like hard work and so we skipped it this year.
The temple fairs are good fun, but seem to be getting more than a little swamped by their own success. Restarted about a decade ago, they were at first a curiosity, but in recent years a sizeable chunk of Beijingers has decided that lighting incense at New Year is once again a must-do activity to ensure good fortune. With 2008 fresh in everyone's memory wishing for better luck this year is bound to be high on the to-do list. The problem is that with only a dozen or so functioning temples left that adds up to more demand than space ... hence the crowds and crush. If you are thinking of taking the kids bear this in mind and go earlier than we did...
After giving up on Bai Yun we called in on Tian Ning Si (天宁寺） just on the other side of the ring road. No fair or queues here, but plenty of people lighting incense. The Liao dynasty pagoda, hemmed in by factories and hutongs, is a delight.
This year we decided to try Bai Yun Guan (白云观， White Cloud Temple) on the west side of the city, since the last time we went, 4 years ago, this had been an interesting fair with a fair amount of traditional activities. This time around we were not so successful however: by 11am when we arrived a 500m queue for tickets had formed, corraled by megaphone wielding organizers with plenty of support from fire, police and ambulances. It all looked too much like hard work and so we skipped it this year.
The temple fairs are good fun, but seem to be getting more than a little swamped by their own success. Restarted about a decade ago, they were at first a curiosity, but in recent years a sizeable chunk of Beijingers has decided that lighting incense at New Year is once again a must-do activity to ensure good fortune. With 2008 fresh in everyone's memory wishing for better luck this year is bound to be high on the to-do list. The problem is that with only a dozen or so functioning temples left that adds up to more demand than space ... hence the crowds and crush. If you are thinking of taking the kids bear this in mind and go earlier than we did...
After giving up on Bai Yun we called in on Tian Ning Si (天宁寺） just on the other side of the ring road. No fair or queues here, but plenty of people lighting incense. The Liao dynasty pagoda, hemmed in by factories and hutongs, is a delight.
After Tian Ning we moved on to the street fair at Xin Hua Road (the street that runs north-south, through the famous Liu Li Chang shopping street). This is a street fair rather than a temple fair. Plenty of people (thousands in fact) but it's a wide street and the numbers are bearable. We walked the entire length of the street and took in traditional stalls and not-so-traditional activities. Crickets in cages, toys, windmills, noodles and just about everything imaginable that can be stuck on a stick and boiled, dunked or fried. The crowds won't put me off, but I will remember to get out of bed earlier next time.
