By staff reporter LIU KE

OLD time Beijing was site of one thousand temples. Citizens would visit them in order to meet, make friends and renew old acquaintances, as well as worship. Then, as now, residents of Beijing laid great store on eating and enjoyment. Consequently row upon row of food and souvenir stalls sprang up in temples and their surrounding areas. Later, they became venues for celebratory outings in which to eat, watch dance performances, play drinking games and choose gifts from hosts of souvenir stalls. The temple fair “season” was the first lunar month, when they were held almost daily, carnival fashion.

Blending Traditional with Modern

At the end of the 1940s, temple fairs lost their popularity, and for a period faded from view. They had lost their significance as a place for social interchange, and there were often, more refined recreational alternatives from which to choose. To the majority, however, temple fairs were nonetheless reminiscent of a warm, festive atmosphere packed with diverse entertainment.

In 1984, Beijing’s first modern temple fair, held in Longtanhu Park, attracted swarms of revelers. Since then there have been numerous fairs in various locations. Nowadays, Beijingers have the choice of dozens at Spring Festival, mostly in parks or other sites charging admission. As few are actually held in or near temples, they are temple fairs in name only. In the absence of a religious ethos, their commercial aspects have come to the fore.

Ditan, or the Temple of the Earth, was where the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) emperors went to exalt the earth. Ditan Temple Fair, held for the past 19 years, is one of Beijing’s four main fairs. It offers acrobatics and other folk performances, local handicrafts such as kites, papercuts, masks and bamboo woven articles, as well as time-honored local snacks. There is also the chance to see re-enactments of Qing ritualistic sacrifices. Ditan Park receives more than one million visitors each year at Spring Festival, and is consequently a popular place to do business. The most expensive stall at the 2005 Ditan Spring Festival Temple Fair cost a cool 60,000 yuan to rent.

Business Theory

The Temple fair represents Chinese folklore.

Achieving a consumer/vendor win-win at temple fairs takes a great deal of thought and research. Promoters are often unfamiliar with visitors’ cultural tastes and consuming psychology. This often results in low economic returns or even loss, to the extent of having to refund rentals on some booths.

Commercially operated temple fairs are now a main aspect of the Spring Festival holiday economy. There is fierce competition among the dozens of temple fairs that open at Spring Festival. As consumers become more mature, they are less inclined to spend on impulse, despite the jubilant occasion.

Competition also arises from foreign troupes and performers that come to China specifically to angle for a piece of the Spring Festival pie.

Temple Fair high added value business stems from its rich cultural connotation. At Spring Festival 2004, Ditan Temple Fair was for the first time held in western China’s Chongqing Municipality. The promoter went to great pains to retain its original Beijing folk customs, which aroused the interest of the local people and brought in good economic returns.

Vendors took diverse approaches to this opportunity to clean up. One stand sold shehuo (a folk recreational activity aimed at expressing happiness and good wishes) masks. Inexpensive and exquisitely crafted, they were considered auspicious and worn to pray for good fortune, health, and drive out evil spirits. Priced between 40 [US $5] and one hundred yuan, their daily sales volume hit 10,000 yuan. Explained one vendor, “What we actually sell is the idea.” This is Temple Fair economy in a nutshell, whether investment is blind or rational, success lies in a unique and effective idea.

Temple fair vendors went to great lengths to attract visitors. Some invited foreign students to don traditional garments and sell sticks of sugar-coated haws and other fruits, or play characters from Chinese classics and traditional opera. These performances appealed to local Chinese visitors and also attracted those from abroad.

More business-oriented promoters cater to consumption trends, having held theme Spring Festivals temple fairs, such as the Flowers and Plants Temple Fair and Auto Temple Fair.

Contemporary temple fairs incorporate trendy pursuits and entertainment, such as Karaoke, speed skating, fashion parades and circus performances that attract younger consumers.

Government Participation

Cognizant of the rich culture and potential profitability of temple fairs, Beijing municipal government took a hand in controlling their quantity and quality. Through joint efforts of the Ministry of Culture Social Culture Department, Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau and Chongwen District Bureau of Culture and Cultural Relics, the pioneering Longtan Temple Fair has become a cultural event that celebrates Beijing’s folkways and the spirit of Spring Festival.

To preserve precious cultural relics and avoid excessive commerciality, the number of food stands at Ditan Temple Fair has been reduced from 180 to 40. Vendors are also provided with free power supply, rather than using coal gas, in order to avoid fire hazards.

Temple fairs create job opportunities and augment tertiary industry income. Their integration of tourism, food and beverages, entertainment and sports industries also promotes folk culture industrialization. At Spring Festival 2004, the Beijing Public Transportation Corporation (BPTC) laid on 17 special temple fair routes, serviced by 200 vehicles, for the added convenience of Temple Fair visitors.

So, for anyone contemplating a late winter trip to Beijing, the Northern Capital, in 2006, a visit to any one of its temple fairs will give you a glimpse of old imperial and current culture, the opportunity to try the choicest of street snacks, as well as a vast scope of gifts for friends and folks at home, all in one spot. Roll up!