The Dongyue Temple Fair is one of the earliest temple fairs in Beijing. It emerged in the Yuan Dynasty, formally formed in the Ming Dynasty and reached its heyday in the Qing Dynasty. Based on the Beijing Dongyue Temple, the temple fair gradually formed a series of group activities including religion, commerce and entertainment.

Historically, Dongyue Temple Fair was held mainly during the Spring Festival, the birth anniversary of Dongyue Emperor from March 15 to March 28 of the lunar calendar and the first day of the lunar month. During the fair, people go to the temple to worship the Dongyue Emperor and the folk God of Good Fortune to pray for blessings and good fortune. Local folk associations of Buddhism believers conduct good behaviors here, and various industries also take advantage of this opportunity to hold activities. Besides, there is also a very large scale temple market selling festive items, local specialties, snacks and daily necessities.

Translated by LIU Yu