Fengdu Temple Fair,The 30-year local Carnival Becomes International Feast

By Peng Li, EDITOR

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and also the 30th anniversary of the launching of Fengdu Temple Fair.  The venue is shifting from the old town to the new one and the magical firework show is replacing the traditional performances, Fengdu Temple Fair has gradually become international and has attracted more and more tourists. The 30-year history of the temple fair has witnessed the changes in the urban construction of Fengdu, the growth of a generation of Fengdu people, and also the rapid development of China’s reform and opening-up.

Among all the activities of the temple fair, the parade is an important part, displaying Fengdu’s culture and history as well as the Ghost City culture to the greatest degree. With the main line of the “Wedding of Emperor of the Underworld and under the theme of “kindness”, the parade further explores and utilizes Fengdu’s unique folk culture and fully reflects its traditional folk customs and local characteristics. This part shows the harmony and touching love between all things in the universe.

Let us review the historical changes of Fengdu Temple Fair in the 30 years through the following fragments of parades.

Street parade in the old town 

On the 3rd day of the third lunar month in 1988, Fengdu County held the first Fengdu “Ghost City” Temple Fair since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. This event attracted tourists from home and abroad, presenting an unprecedentedly grand occasion. The transportation then was not so convenient, but numerous tourists trekked across mountains just for a glimpse it. Afterward, Fengdu held it once every year or every other year, and it has become a major cultural event that the people of Fengdu enjoyed.

Culture of kindness & traditional folk customs

In 2015, the Fengdu Temple Fair innovatively integrated Fengdu’s culture of kindness with the world’s folk cultures in the float parade for the first time. With modern technologies of sound, light, and electricity, as well as international elements, it stimulated traditional culture. In 2016, it launched a number of large-scale songs and dance performances and exhibited the intangible cultural heritage and foreign folk customs successively. In 2017, it carried out the activity centered on “Run! Fengdu Temple Fair”, creating a miracle in Fengdu’s history of long-distance running fitness activities.

Delicacies & Animation Comic

2018 witnessed both “street acrobatics and stunts”, which showed the unique charm of folk acrobatics, and the food and culture festival of beef, which attracted visitors to linger there. With in-depth linkage between culture, tourism, and media, the themed exhibition of Fengdu Temple Fair of 2018 China Western Animation Comic Cultural Festival (ACCF) staged a visual feast for visitors around the world. Additionally, tickets for the night tour to the Ming Mountain were highly sought-after and the temple fair received over 1,305,000 tourists in 5 days.

More surprises are waiting for you

Fengdu will hold the 2019 Fengdu Temple Fair from April 5 to 10, and the “Street Wedding Parade of Emperor of the Underworld” is still the top priority among all the activities. It will mainly feature the themed float and the formation of people dressed up as characters in the themed story. If you have watched Coco, you must be no stranger to the “Day of the Dead” in Mexico. And the famous float from Guanajuato of Mexico will be enjoyed in this parade. It has integrated “Fengdu’s local culture” with “foreign elements” for creating an international visual feast. Moreover, by signing up online, tourists can partake in a creative makeup formation of this year’s parade. They will have an enjoyable time with the parade of this fair.