The capital folk culture and arts are active and numerous. Although the Village God Temple Fair, one of the four big temple fairs and the Jiangnan Town God Temple Fair, which marched with the God statue, have disappeared, Changdian Temple Fair and Tianqiao Temple Fair still exist. For the two hundred years, to go to Changdian Temple Fair in the Spring Festival has become the custom of Beijing people. People gathered on the fair, which filled with diabolo, windmill, sugar-coated haws, people’s joy and laughter. Countless astounding skills on Tianqiao Temple Fair attracted people. The three generations of “eight strange” were missed by all; generations of artistic inheritors became respectful artists here. Changdian and Tianqiao symbolize Beijing folk culture and fold arts, represent culture of Xuanwu District.

Layout of Temple Fairs

Profile of Temple Fair

The temple fairs in Xuanwu District emerged in Ming Dynasty and developed in Qing Dynasty. After the Republic of China was founded, department stores were established, the temple fair began to fall. According to the Record of Beijing Economic History, the Village God Temple Fair and Changdian Temple Fair were the oldest, largest and most prosperous temple fairs.

Village God Temple Fair

Village God Temple Fair

The Village God Temple was located at the west side of Xiaxiejie Road (current Xuanwu District Hospital of Beijing). In Jin Dynasty, the location was developed into the place for temple fair until 1950s. The temple fair was held on the 3rd, 13th and 23rd of each lunar month, totaled 36 times in each lunar year, and 2 times more in leap year. The fair took an area of 19,200 m2, including 2,530 m2 inside the temple and 16,670 m2 outside the temple (including Xiaxie Road, a section of Guang’anmennei Road and the square behind the temple). According to the Investigation of Beiping Temple Fairs, there were total 583 booths selling 14 categories of goods on the Village God Temple Fair, including 169 clothing booths and 84 food booths, as well as 1 traffic equipment booth (cart and bike parts) and 4 leather articles booth. The temple fair usually started at 10:00 a.m., and finished at 5:00 p.m. On each fair, “hundreds of goods being sold, customers being fascinated by multi-colors,” “endless customers clustered,” what a prosperous scene. In Oct of 1955, Beijing Municipal Public Health Bureau decided to establish a hospital at the former Village God Temple, the temple fair disappeared.