For the second year a Beijing Temple Fair has been held in Taipei of Taiwan. It attracted 580,000 visitors, and achieved total revenue of 6.4 million New Taiwan Dollars ($190,100).

Apart from regular temple fair activities, the event this year brought more theater performances and intangible cultural heritages to Taipei to enhance cultural communication between Taiwan and the mainland.

The dance drama Confucius was performed in Taipei for the first time by the China National Opera and Dance Drama Theater. The drama is about the journey of Confucius, the thinker and educationist in ancient China, to different states to spread his political ideas of propriety and kindness. It was well received by the local audience. 

“I could feel the culture and ideas in this drama. They are right here, ” said a senior audience after watching the show.

Many traditional intangible cultural heritages were also displayed at the fair, including works of the dough figurine sculptor Peng Xiaoping and some from the Changdian Temple Fair. Many other traditional Chinese elements were added, such as the traditional Xi’an province gourmet dinner that President Xi Jinping and Lien Chan, honorary chairman of Kuomintang Party in Taiwan, had together in Beijing.

The event was warmly welcomed by the local residents. At the Intangible Cultural Heritage Masters Conference, the participants said that they could feel the passion of Taipei people for traditional Chinese culture. Taiwan and the mainland have the same cultural origin. The temple fair brought people from both sides of the Taiwan Straits closer to each other. They also felt the huge responsibility to carry on developing the intangible cultural heritages and strengthening the ties between Taiwan and the mainland.

The event was organized by the Beijing State-owned Cultural Asset Supervision and Administration Office (SOCASAO), and it will last until March 8. The temple fair will also be held in Macao and the United States from this year on.