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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)
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