Beijing Ditan Temple Fair (Chinese New Year)|北京地坛春节文化庙会

Ditan Park Entrance. The south gate of Ditan park in Beijing is

decorated and flanked by guards for the Chinese new year temple fair.

 

The Central Road. The temple fairs in China have no capacity limits

or ordnance, so the centers can end up being wall-to-wall people,

without any particular rules about right-of-way.

 

Child with Drums. Large drums are positioned at the front of the gates,

for visitors to bang on for good fortune and to drive away evil spirits.

It’s especially popular to lift children up to have a go.

 

 

Gate Drums.

 

 

Figures of Fortune. A woman sits flanked by two figures covered in

symbols of fortune, including the color red, images of imperial Chinese

coins, and large golden taels, the shape that precious metals were traded

in Qing dynasty China.

 

Xiangsheng 相声 (Cross-talk) Performers. Two young men perform

xiangsheng, a form of two person stand-up comedy. This particular example

involved tricking one member to repeatedly slap himself in the face,

generating waves of laughter in a crowd filled with children.

 

Carnival Workers. Working on Chinese New Year is no treat for

Chinese workers, but taxi drivers, carnival workers, and public service

workers have to be on the job.

 

Street Vendor Selling Starch Chips.Made from various types of starch,

such as wheat or oats, these fried chips are popular in Beijing where they

are eaten with vinegar and garlic. The vendors working the temple fair

have to be dressed very warm, standing outside in the middle of winter!

 

Baozi Hawking. At a temple fair, convincing the fair goers to buy

your food out of a dizzying selection available requires a certain

level of showmanship.

 

Kebab Delivery. The sea of fair-goers becomes even more chaotic near

the roast kebabs stands at lunchtime, as brave members of the family are

dispatched to purchase large bouquets of greasy lamb and deliver it to the

family. Behind, fake hawthorn fruit on sticks are held up high as well.

Hawthorns are a popular snack and also a symbol of good fortune for

its color and shape.

 

Temple Prayers. By BERKSHIRE Publishing Group. The temple fairs in China still hold meaning for many

people, as the long lines to pray at the old alters prove. Here a long line of

supplicants offer prayers for good fortune in the coming year.

 

 

Temple Prayers. The temple fairs in China still hold meaning for some,

as long lines to pray at the old alters prove. Here women offer prayers for

good fortune in the coming year.

 

New Year’s Reunion. One important thing to do on the New Year

is meet family members and old friends. Here a high school class

has a reunion, after arriving back in Beijing from various places across

China and the globe.

Family. A family poses at the 2013 Chinese New Year temple fair,

at Ditan park in Beijing.

 

 

Chinese Couple.A couple poses at the 2013 Chinese New Year temple fair,

at Ditan park in Beijing.

 

 

Patrolling the Fair. A large security presence is expected at any public gathering in China. these two youthful guards are patrolling at the Ditan temple fair, Chinese New Year 2013.