Spring Festival Beijing Changdian Folk Art and Cultural Temple Fair Zigong International Dragon Lantern Festival in Sichuan Shanxi Shehuo Performance Festival Spring-welcoming Flower Show Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival 2002 Luoping Rape Blossoms Tourist Festival in Yunnan China Nanjing International Plum-Blossom Festival Opening Ceremony of China Ningxia Folk Art Tour Butter Lamp Festival

Spring Festival Time: Spring Festival 2002 (February 12) Venue: All over the country What's on: Originating in the practice of sacrifices to the gods in the twelfth month of the lunar year of primitive society, the Spring Festival took shape in the early Xia Dynasty (21st-16th centuries B.C.). It was a happy occasion to celebrate the harvest at the end of the year when farm work was completed, and people held activities to thank the gods. It has now become the grandest traditional festival of the Chinese nation. During the festival, people pay New Year calls on each other, light

firecrackers, eat New Year cakes, make dumplings, go to temple fairs and hang up lanterns. Traditional activities are held throughout the country, such as lion and yangko dances, and appreciating the festive lanterns. The ritual activities are aimed at clearing away the dirt and the old of the past year and ushering in the new, driving away evils and pestilence, and praying for good harvests and happiness in the coming year.

Beijing Changdian Folk Art and Cultural Temple Fair Time: The first day to the sixth day of the first lunar month (February 12-17) Venue: South Xinhua Street and West and East Liulichang. Sponsors: Beijing Tourism Administration and

Xuanwu District CPC Committee and District Government Organizers: Tourism Administration, and Culture and Relics Bureau of Xuanwu District What's On: The temple fair first started during the Jiajing reign of Ming Dynasty, with a history of nearly 400 years. The temple fair is one of the four most important temple fairs in China because of its long history and large scale. Every year from the first day to the 15th day of the first lunar month, the Changdian temple fair is crowded with people of Beijing and from other places. Main activities include folk customs show, theatrical performance and demonstration of handicrafts.

Zigong International Dragon Lantern Festival in Sichuan Time: Early February-early March every year Venue: Zigong City, Sichuan Province What's On: Dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), local people in Zigong

began to celebrate the lantern festival during the lunar New Year. The Zigong People's Government holds the lantern festival every year in the Spring Festival. During the festival porcelain kitchen utensils with the design of dragon, and lanterns made of bamboo and silk and paper are exhibited. The lanterns, in various colors, are exquisite and superb handicrafts. During the festival various goods are exhibited, and goods-ordering meetings and trade talks are held.

Shanxi Shehuo Performance Festival Time: The 28th day of the lunar 12th month - the 18th day of the first lunar month (February 9 - March 1) Venue: Mianshan in Jiexiu, the ancient city Pingyao, Qiao family compound, Shanxi Sponsor: Shanxi Provincial Tourism Administration and Jinzhong City People's Government What's On: Shehuo, a traditional performance art, is popular in central Shanxi. It originated in the Qin and

Han dynasties and developed in the Tang and Song dynasties. It was even more popular during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now Shehuo has become a folk recreational activity showing people's happiness and expressing their good wishes. The main activities include enjoying the lantern display in the ancient city Pingyao, hanging lucky bells in Mianshan, watching performances in the Wang family compound and sitting on sedan chairs in the Qiao family compound, Qixian County.

Spring-welcoming Flower Show Time: The 28th day to the 30th day of the 12th lunar month (February 9-11) Venue: Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province What's On: The Spring-welcoming Flower Show is a traditional cultural activity well received by the people in Guangzhou when celebrating the Spring Festival. During the festival farmers carry their flowers from different

places in close vicinity to the city proper to display them on the streets. People, old and young, come to appreciate and purchase beautiful flowers.

Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival Time: The first day to the 18th day of the first lunar month (February 12-March 1) Venue: Yuyuan Shopping Center, Shanghai Sponsor: Huangpu District Government What's On: The Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival attracts a lot of people in Shanghai during the Spring Festival. Several dozens of large scale lantern groups with special themes will make Yuyuan a sea of lanterns. Various activities, such as operas and rooster-fighting, will make tourists excited. A new water screen film system has been built in the Lotus Pool near the Nine-twist Bridge. If you go there during the festival, you will surely enjoy it very much.

2002 Luoping Rape Blossoms Tourist Festival in Yunnan Time: Mid February to mid March Venue: Luoping County, Qujing City, Yunnan Province Sponsors: Yunnan Provincial Tourism Administration and Qujing City People's Government

What's On: The festival has been held successfully for two years. It attracts people with its unique natural scenery, Luoping's 300,000 mu (one mu = 1/15 hectare) of rape blossoms, Jiulong waterfalls, Lubuge three gorges, and natural landscape in Duoyihe River Scenic Area, mingled with the unsophisticated and strong-flavored culture and customs of Buyi ethnic group.

China Nanjing International Plum-Blossom Festival Time: The last Saturday of February to March 18 Venue: Plum Blossom Garden in the Bell Mountain Scenic Area Sponsor: Nanjing City People's Government, Jiangsu Province Organizer: Nanjing City Tourism Bureau and the Administrative Bureau of Mausoleum of Sun

Yat-sen in Nanjing What's On: The people in Nanjing began to grow and appreciate plum blossoms as early as in the Six Dynasties. The Plum Blossom Garden, one of the four plum gardens in China, is the best. The Plumblossom Festival is organized every year from the last Saturday in February to March 18th in Nanjing by the Nanjing City People's Government. In addition to admiring plum blossoms, there are other activities, such as various cultural tours and trade talks.

Opening Ceremony of China Ningxia Folk Art Tour Time: During the Spring Festival Venue: Wuzhong City, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Sponsor: Government of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region

Organizer: Tourism Bureau and Culture Bureau of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Wuzhong City Government What's On: Folk art performances, a match of walking on stilts, the lion dance and dragon dance, commodity fair held in Litong District, Wuzhong City and Shaanxi opera invitational performance.

Butter Lamp Festival Time: The 15th day of the first Tibetan month (February 27) Venue: Lhasa City, Tibet Autonomous Region What's On: Colorful buttered ornaments, including flowers, birds animals and figurines, are made by the monks from the temples a!0 the people living near Barhkor Street. They are exquisitely made ; look lifelike. At night the butter-burning lamps are lit, the street bright. On this day people of the city come to c ornaments and dance and sing through the night.

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