Beijing Temple Fair: Chinese New Year at Ditan Park

Channel: CGTN Published: February 12, 2016 Duration: 2:24 Views: 977

What this video shows

A nine-year-old girl named Alan, who was born in the United States, visits her grandparents in Beijing with her parents and attends a temple fair for the first time. Her family explains the local custom of paying respects to the Lord Rabbit, and she encounters clay sculptures, paper cuts, and other handicrafts she would not see in the US. The fair mixes craft stalls and food with historical demonstrations, including the story of emperors who once prayed to the god of earth at the same site. Because it is the year of the monkey, monkey-themed goods dominate the stalls.

At a glance

LocationBeijing, Ditan Park
SettingLarge city
What it coversLunar New Year temple fair during the year of the monkey
Costs mentionedNone mentioned
Time of dayDaytime, with vendors reporting customers from morning to evening

What stands out

The Ditan Park fair is described as one of the largest in Beijing, running five days and drawing close to 200,000 visitors daily. Vendors say business is steady from morning until evening without a break, and stuffed monkeys are singled out as the best sellers. One mother explains that she watched the Journey to the West television series while growing up, so the monkey toys reconnect her with childhood and will later remind her daughter that she visited China during the year of the monkey. The fair also layers history onto shopping: the same grounds once hosted emperors praying to the god of earth, and demonstrations there serve as a history lesson for visitors.

Video transcript

papercuts snuff bottles and Beijing Lord rabbit figurines born in the US nine year old Alan is visiting her grandparents in Beijing with her parents and this is her first experience of visiting a temple fair I told her that every year we worship the Lord of rabbit who will bless us I'm going to take curse he clay sculptures and paper cutting and she won't be able to see leaves in the u.s. not only handicrafts and food visitors can also get a lesson of history through demonstrations and a fair at this very venue Chinese emperors pray to the god of earth

hundreds of years ago this is the year of monkey it's the star of this temple Fair you can find all sorts of monkey products here like a monkey Chinese shadow puppets monkey paper cuts and this stuff the monkey dressed in traditional fabrics all these monkey products have brought a brisk business to the vendors there are always customers from morning to evening non-stop it keeps us very busy the stuffed monkeys are particularly popular this little visitor ellipse in the US but it's now on vacation in Beijing she has a special Lunar New Year present from

her mother I watched the TV series The Journey to the West when I was growing up so the stuffed monkeys refreshed my childhood memory and I'm emotionally attached to them also when my daughter grows up the monkey will remind her that she has visited China in the year of the monkey daehan temple fair is one of the biggest in beijing the five-day event which runs through Friday sees nearly 200,000 people a day Wang Wei CCTV Beijing

More from Beijing

More from Festivals & Holidays

View category →

More from CGTN

View blogger →

Latest uploads

All videos →