Temple fairs in contemporary

Hebei/Tianjin/Beijing: problems and challenges

• Aglaia Starostina, RSUH & IOS of the Russian

Academy of Sciences & Institute for Oriental
and Classical Studies (HSE)
Map of Beijing
temple fairs in
2017
• The so-called revival of
religion in China can be
perceived through the fate of
miaohui. The phenomenon of
the temple fair itself is rather
fragile, given that they were
almost destroyed during the
40 years of atheistic wave.
Though, as for now, there are
literally thousands temple
fairs in modern Hebei.
 Fate of the Old Fairs

continu
revive vanish
e
Traditional temple fairs (1st and 3rd cases) and
their temples

First goes the First goes the

Fair is restored,
rebuilding of a restoration of a fair,
temple exists no
temple, then then rebuilding of a
more
restoration of a fair temple
 Two groups of 沒有廟的廟會

Temple fairs
Temple fairs
that have
that once had a
nothing to do
temple
with temples
 The first group

• 蟠桃宮廟會 (Beijing, stopped in 1960s, temple destroyed in 1980s, fair

renewed in 2007)
• 廠甸廟會 (Beijing, stopped in 1960s, temples destroyed in 1960s, fair
renewed in 2001)
• 蓮花池財神廟廟會 (Beijing, fair renewed in 2000, closed in 2016)
• 龍牌會 (Dragon Plaque Festival; near Shijiazhuang, 趙縣範莊鎮範莊
村 , temples destroyed in 1960s, fair have not stopped)
  And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new
wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall
perish

• 庙会的经济意义巨大，不可再像“文
革”一样驱散庙会，只能因势利导，加以
改造，同时宣传唯物论无神论，使之健康
地向社会主义市场经济方向发展。
• 要旧瓶装新酒，不断掺入新的适于时代的
形式和内容，那么它是能够为社会主义两
个文明建设服务的。 ( 民俗风情：庙会民俗
石家庄政府网  2012-12-20)
 The second group (Lunar New Year)
• “Temple fair” activities for kids (Beijing,
Tianjin)
• 趙王歡樂谷廟會 (Handan)
• 正定文化大廟會 (Zhengding)
• 龍潭廟會 (Beijing, started in 1984)
• 朝陽公園洋廟會 (Beijing, started in 2000s)
 人民日报海外版
2010 年 2 月 12 日

• 如今的庙会，由于庙宇减
少，逐渐移至公园等其他
场所
• 对比传统庙会，我们今天
的庙会饮食和游乐活动，
应该有许多可资借鉴的地
方。丰厚的民间民俗的传
统，是我们的一笔得天独
厚的文化财富
 以美育代宗教
• Cai Yuanpei (1868-1940) proposed to “substitute religion with aesthetic
education”.
• Liang Shuming supported this intention. He was sure that Chinese are not
religious by nature, and so could be more easily persuaded to use the
system of “rites and music” instead of religion.
• This line of thought seems to prevail in the minds of the people who forge
the modern ideology for PRC.
 Development of quasi-state cult

Scriptures Sacrifices Saints Sacred

spaces
 靈
• Rural religion strikes back. For it, the sacred lies not only in the temples
and outer space, but mostly in domestic space.
• If city people are more prone to new state cult propaganda, in the villages
people are ready to encompass the cult of Chinese leaders as if they were
common saints of the traditional religion.
Old meets
New