Ongoing temple fair offers business and fun

The wish tree, candied haws, clay figurines and lantern art all bring back childhood memories of Spring Festival.

The monthlong Temple Fair and Lantern Show, which began on Jan 26 in Guanshanhu district of Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, is therefore the place to visit while celebrating the Chinese New Year, which fell on Feb 16.

The events include the display of traditional customs, a food festival and cultural performances for different age groups.

Guanshanhu has hosted such events for the past eight years.

By taking part in the activities, visitors get the opportunity to know their culture better. For example, a special wooden hammer that is used to make ciba, a snack of glutinous rice, and is hardly seen in Chinese cities these days, can be viewed at the fair.

Also, the custom of making a wish and tying a red thread to a tree branch can be experienced.

More than 150 stalls from the mainland with food and beverages have been set up.

Speaking about the fair, Cui Shuzhi, a candy retailer from Heilongjiang province in Northeast China, says: "Guizhou is a potential market for our products."

Cui has been in the business for five years, and this is the first time she is selling her products outside Heilongjiang. Even though she has to pay a daily rent of 620 yuan ($98) for her stall at the fair, her candies fetch her nearly 4,000 yuan a day - a figure she didn't expect to reach, she says.

Guizhou has focused on the promotion of agricultural products in the past few years and launched a project called Qianhuo Chushan to help farmers in mountainous areas sell their products in cities. Data from the first half of 2017 shows the project generated a revenue of 3.7 billion yuan, an increase of 42 percent year-on-year.

With the fair, many locals are also able to access clients from outside the province.

And, other than food and customs, the fair has a large space for kids entertainment, where children can explore such activities as dancing, video games and virtual reality.

Chen Zhuo contributed to the story.

yangjun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/22/2018 page20)