Temple fairs are folk markets held at temples or squares during Spring Festival, a tradition stretching back a thousand years and one of the most ritual-rich ways to celebrate the new year.
See: dragon and lion dances, stilt-walking, acrobatics, Peking opera and quyi; some fairs include worship and blessing rituals (like rubbing the stone monkey at Baiyun Guan).
Eat: candied hawthorns, cotton candy, sugar paintings, tea soup, baodu tripe and snack stalls end to end.
Buy: pinwheels, lanterns, Tu-er Ye clay rabbits (a Beijing specialty), paper cuttings, spring couplets and other new-year goods.
Classic fairs: Beijing Ditan, Longtan Lake and Changdian; Shanghai Yuyuan; Nanjing Confucius Temple; Chengdu grand fair. Most run from the first to sixth day of the new year.
Tips: crowds are huge - guard valuables, hold children close; some fairs charge 10-40 yuan, most are free.
