A New Year’s temple fair
We were told that Beijing has a tradition hosting fairs at temples that dates back thousands of years. While some have moved to parks and other open spaces, some temples, like the Dongyue Taoist Temple still continue the tradition.
Some showed up to pray for blessings in the year of the tiger.
Others showed up for the entertainment and the games.
My contribution was adding my name (in English and Chinese) to the thousands of other red wooden ornaments lining the central pathway.
Being an entirely practical religion, you can pray to one of hundreds of gods represented around the outer perimeter walls. To aid you in your search for the right deity, they’re organized into departments. I think I found the right one.
Unfortunately, the cast of characters in the department seemed to leave a little to be desired. I guess the guy with the club is encouraging me to to be honourable in performing my duties.
