During the Spring Festival, a temple fair following the traditions of the Ming and Qing dynasties, will be held in Ditan, in which the God of Earth was worshipped and folk performances staged.
This is one of the city's busiest temple fairs. The park is the site of the altar where sacrifices were formerly offered to the earth, and this year's fair will open with a performance imitating the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) sacrificial ceremony. Activities and events during the fair includes folk performances, fashion shows and a food vendor street.
To attract visitors from downtown Beijing, where about 25 places will be expected to hold different styles of temple fairs, this year's Ditan Temple Fair will present lots of new breathtaking events during the one-week holiday.
Many performances like stilt-walking, acrobatics, martial arts, horse-riding and folk art displays by skilled craftsmen will be amongst the folk culture attractions.
Peking Opera and many other regional variations attract older people.
Youngsters flock to fashion shows featuring pretty Chinese and foreign models.
You won't go hungry at the temple fair in Ditan. Snacks are displayed in lines of booths, just asking to be tasted! It's one way to sample the many flavours of different ethnic groups across China.
Everywhere you go, the aromas of cooking food fill the air. Look out for birds, grasshoppers, fish and snakes being formed from boiling sugar and put on a stick and sold as lollipops.
Pies, soybean milk, rice and fried cake, bean curd, tea soup, toasted sweet potato, ravioli, baked sesame-seed cake and delicacies from land and sea can all be found here.
The following is the detailed programme schedule of this year's Ditan Temple Fair.
Opening ceremony
Location: Pailou (Ceremonial Gate) near the West Gate of the Park
Time: 9:30 am, January 21.
Sacrifice offering ceremony for the God of Earth and performance
Location: Sacrifice Altar
Time: 1 pm to 1:30 pm, daily from January 21 to 28.
Folk art performances
Location: At the northeast corner of the Sacrifice Altar in the park.
Time: 10:00 am to 12:30 noon and 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm, daily from January 21 to 28. Different kinds of Chinese local operas will be shown here.
Volunteers karaoke
Location: South side of the Sacrifice Altar
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, daily from January 21 to 28. There will be a half-hour break from 1pm to 1:30 for the performance of the sacrifice ceremony .
Modern rock music show
Location: inside of Zhaigong (Fast Hall)
Time: 9:30 am to 10:30 am, 11 am to 12 noon, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm, daily from January 21 to 28.
Performances by minority groups
Location: Inside of the North Gate of the Park.
Time: 9:30 am to 10:30 am, 11:30 am to 12:30 noon, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm, daily from January 21 to 28.
Fashion show
In Fangzhexuan Hall, 9:30 am to 10:30 am, 11 am to 12 am, 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm, 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, daily from January 21 to 28.
Shaanxi farmers' painting exhibition
Location: Rear court of Fangzexuan Hall.
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, daily from January 21 to 28.
Circus performance
Location: At the croquet course near the East Gate of the park.
Time: 9:30 am to 4:00 pm, daily from January 22 to 28.
Extreme roller-skating show
Location: In Yueji (Chinese Rose) Garden
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, daily from January 21 to 28.
Rose display
All the roses are from Luoyang, a city of Central China's Henan Province.
Luoyang has been famous for its fine roses for almost 1,000 years in China.
Location: In Yueji Garden.
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Butterfly exhibition
These butterflies are from Xishuangbanna, a famous travel destination in Southwest China's Yunnan Province. A special greenhouse with flowers, trees and streams is built for these butterflies.
Location: In Yueji Garden
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, daily from January 21 to 28.
Folk flower fair
Location: South side of the West Gate of the park.
Time: 9:30 am to 4:00 pm, daily from January 21 to 28
Suzhou storytelling and Chinese traditional opera show
Location: Fengrusong Hall
Time: 9:30 am to 4:00 pm, daily from January 21 to 28.
To get to Ditan: Yonghegong (Lama Temple) subway, bus 13, 116, 62 for the south gate; trolley bus 104, 108.
Ticket price: 6 yuan (72 US cents) for individuals, 5 yuan (60 US cents) for groups.
For more information: 010-64214657.
