Statistics show that temple fairs have long disappeared in Guangzhou. Originated in the ancient time, the temple fair was an ancient way of gathering, which first took the form of worshipping and praying. The activity was given a religious touch in the Wei Dynasty, Jin Dynasty and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, which was held in the periphery of Buddhist temples and Taoist monasteries. It even included the ritual of carrying religious statues to the street. The tradition of carrying religious statues to the street was introduced to Lingnan during the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty.
The tradition of temple fair is well preserved in Northern China. The most famous is the Beijing Temple Fair. Exhibitions and performances are also staged in towns and cities of various sizes in Northern China. In Southern China, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, this tradition was carried forward and practiced only in several cities, such as Suzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu. Guangzhou culture attaches great importance to inheriting and carrying forward traditions, including lion dance, dragon dance and dragon boat race. However, the tradition of temple fair has disappeared in Guangzhou for many years.
By capitalizing on the re-opening of Guangzhou Town God's Temple (established during the reign of Emperor Hongwu of Ming Dynasty), Yuexiu District held the first Guangzhou Temple Fair in the Spring Festival of 2011, hoping to build a Cantonese-style cultural Carnival that integrates food, drinks, entertainment, sightseeing, shopping and recreation by combining traditional religious celebration with modern lifestyles such as shopping and entertainment.
The first Guangzhou Temple Fair lasted one week, from the fifteenth day to the twenty-first day of the first month according to Chinese lunar month.
The staging places of the fair are scattered, including Zhongyou Square of the Town God's Temple, Zhongshan Silu (from Wende Lu intersection to Beijing Lu intersection), Fuxue Xijie, Beijing Lu, Huifu Gourmet Street, Dafo Buddhist Temple, Five Immortals' Monastery.
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