Temple Fairs aka Miao Hui in Beijing

Today's post will be on temple fairs. If you happen to be in Beijing during Chinese New Year, head to any one of the 12 temple fairs in the capital. The fairs date back to more than thousand years ago and were held to celebrate important festivals such as Chinese New Year. Contrary to the name, they are hardly held in temples anymore. Rub shoulders with Locals and Foreigners AND WATCH YOUR BELONGINGS as the place is packed to the brim. The fair is like a carnival, with game & food stalls, performances, exhibitions and even gimmicks such as a sedan chair ride! I love the fair as it allows you to catch a glimpse of the past in the present. I hope that the experience of tradition and culture, will be always preserved at such an affordable rate!


Temple fair at Ditan(Temple of Earth), catch sight of the re-enactment of Emperor's prayer rites at that site(Information Source Straits Times)After visiting Ditan, I caught sight of prayer rites for good harvest at the Temple of Heaven instead! By that time, 3/4 of the day was gone and I was temple fair fatigue!





Stalls caught on Camera:






I spotted this and I felt that it was worth mentioning! When I looked at it, the term perseverance came to mind! It was awesome seeing children only 1/3 of my height, attempting to scale the 'mountain' to reach the summit in order to retrieve a toy!


A preservation of tradition - Travel like royalty even if it is just for 2 mins


Here are the pictures from the re-enactment at the Temple of Heaven. It showed how the Emperor used to worship the Heaven to ensure that there will be good harvest for the coming year. I couldn't help overhearing on-lookers comments about the 'Emperor'. They said he looked ugly! I googled the youth pictures of Emperor Qian Long and Emperor Kang Xi and my personal opinion is that they were NOT drop dead gorgeous! If a handsome actor was used, wouldn't that have compromised the accurate reflection of the ceremony? Anyway Beauty is in the eye's of the beholder and to me he looks alright!







Do catch the Honour Guard Performance and Ritual Music and Dancing Performance too.
Schedule: 09:30-10:05, 13:30-14:05 (Honor Guard Performance); 10:45-11:15, 14:45-15:15 (ritual music and dancing show)
*This is the 2011 schedule and should only be used as reference for 2012 onwards


Here's a random fact: It is believe that 2011, will be a bad year for those born in the Year of the Rabbit. People who are in this group were advised to wear red underwear & carry around a lucky charm to ward away the "bad luck"! I have no idea whether this is just Chinese superstition, as apparently couples prefer to have a Rabbit baby than a Tiger child. Since we are still in the 15 days of CNY, I would like to wish all 新年快乐(Happy New Year)，万事如意(May you always be prosperous)，心想事成(May all your wishes and dreams come true)!

Getting There:
Temple of Heaven

By Subway:
Take Subway Line 5: get off at Tiantan Dongmen Station, Leave from Exit A and you'll find the East Gate of the Park of Temple of Heaven.
Take bus 6, 34, 35, 36, 39, 41, 43, 60, 116, 610, 707, 723, 743, 957, or 958 and get off at Tiantan Dongmen (East Gate) Station.
Take bus 36 (环), 53, 120, 122, 525, 610, 800 (内), 803 or 958 and get off at Tiantan Nanmen (South Gate) Station.

By Bus:
Take bus 2, 7, 15, 17, 20, 69, 105, 707, 729, or 826 and get off at Tiantan Ximen (West Gate) Station.
Take bus 6, 34, 35, 36 (环), 106, 110, 687, 707, or 743 and get off at Tiantan Beimen (North Gate) Station.

Temple of Earth

By Subway:
Take Subway Line 2 or Subway Line 5 to Yonghegong Station, get out of the station from Exit A (northwest exit). You will see the entrance to the park

By Bus:
Take Bus No. 18, 75, 104, 108, 113, 119, 201, 328, 407, 426, 430, 558, 特2 to Ditan Ximen (West Gate of Ditan Park) Stop;
Take Bus No. 117, 125 to Ditan Dongmen (East Gate of Ditan Park) Stop

Arita - Day Trip from Hakata

Arita is well known around the world for its beautiful fine porcelain made with Kaolin clay. An annual pottery fair is held in Arita from 29 April to 5 May, therefore pottery connoisseurs are highly encouraged to visit the fair. Ceramic Artworks are sold at a discount and pay a visit to one of the many workshops in the area. They are a treasure trove for ceramic pieces, that are not exported to your home country.

I visited the city, a day after the fair and it felt like a "ghost town". Most of the shops and workshops were shut. Here are some pictures around town:













I visited Tozan Shrine, which is famous for its porcelain archway and other items made of porcelain. In other shrines, these items are usually made of stone.






Containers all ready for export!


Other spots to visit -
1) Ri Sam Pei Monument - from the above, you will have a scenic view over the houses and kilns of Arita
2) Big Ginko Tree
3) Tombai walls in the back roads - they are built using bricks dismantled from the traditional Japanese Kiln
4) Kyushu Ceramic Museum ( it is closed on Mondays and admission is free)
5) The Kilns
6) If you have extra time, hop to Takeo Onsen, where you can soak your tired body in one of the traditional baths.

Getting there-
From JR line from Hakata Station and alight at Kami Arita Station.

Nagasaki - Day Trip from Hakata

Whenever you think of Hiroshima, you will think of Nagasaki. Since I visited Hiroshima before, therefore this time round I decided to visit Nagasaki. Explore the beauty of the city with a day pass(which allows you to have unlimited ride on the street cars), a map and a comfy pair of walking boots. Not much planning is need, as there are directional signs to all the tourist locations. In-fact a less structured itinerary will bring with it a few surprises at every nook and corner!


Currently with many countries stocking up on Nuclear Arms, it has increased the Nuclear Threats in the region. Both Hiroshima and Nagasaki are painful reminders of the devastating effect it can cause to mankind! When contestants are asked what are their wishes are for the world, during the Miss Universe Pageant. A standard answer will always include "World Peace". Cliche as it sounds but as the saying goes "MAKE LOVE AND NOT WAR".

Nagasaki Peace Park (Heiwa Koen) -
At the South, you can find the "Fountain of Peace", the jets are set in a shape of a pair of Angel's wings and it is a dedication to World Peace. This was constructed in August, 1969, as a prayer for the repose of the souls of the many atomic bomb victims who died searching for water (Text extracted from Wikipedia)



Nations from around the world, have sent many peace structures to be placed in the Peace Symbol Zone in the park











At the North end of park you will find the 10m high Peace Statue
The statue's right hand points to the threat of nuclear weapons while the extended left hand symbolizes eternal peace. The mild face symbolizes divine grace and the gently closed eyes offer a prayer for the repose of the bomb victims' souls. The folded right leg and extended left leg signify both meditation and the initiative to stand up and rescue the people of the world. Installed in front of the statue is a black marble vault containing the names of the atomic bomb victims and survivors who died in subsequent years (Text extracted from Wikipedia)



Walk along Dutch slope and enjoy the western architecture lining that street, visit Oura Catholic Church dedicated to the 26 Christians crucified in 1597 when the Japanese Authorities were clamping down on Christianity.






Glover Garden
The elegant garden is like a cultural theme park, consisting of a cluster of European style houses. Some of which have been reassembled from other parts of the city. The garden is on a hilly gradient, therefore visitors can enjoy a bird's eye view of Nagasaki. Due to the pull of gravity, the best way to explore the garden is to take the escalator right to the top and walk down hill! Exit the garden through Nagasaki Traditional Performing Arts Museum, which houses a display of the floats used in the Kunchi Matsuri.








Megane Bashi aka Spectacle Bridge



Around Nagasaki city, there are a couple of stone hearts and two of them can be found in Glover Garden. It is an old wives tale that you will find true love when you touch one of the stones, or that something positive will happen, if you find both! As tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so if you are single and happen to be there. Try touching the stone and who knows your knight in shining may appear! And Gentlemen, why not find both stones with your sweetheart and propose to her there. May your love for each other always be embedded in stone and not weathered easily
<3 Another stone heart can be found along the river banks.

Other sightseeing spots in Nagasaki include:
1)One Pillar Torii - It is at Sanno Jinja, the blast blew off one leg of the Torii gate to the shrine (Free)
2)Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum
3)Nagasaki Museum of History & Folklore (Free and it has activities for the kids)
4) Fukusai-ji Kannon - It a majestic structure of a turtle carrying an 18m high figure of the Goddess Kannon on its back
5) Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture
6) Suwa Jinja - The venue of Kunchi Matsuri (7-9 Oct)
7) Atomic Bomb Hypo Centre

While walking around the city, I caught sight of some lovely drawing -




You might also be interested in -
Hiroshima

Getting there -
I took a day trip from Hakata and caught the Bullet train from JR Hakata Station to JR Nagasaki Station

Nokonoshima Island Park

Take a day trip out of Fukuoka to visit Nokonoshima Island Park, a family friendly park! With the bright blue sky, well manicured plots of colourful seasonal flowers and Hakata Bay as the backdrop. It is a visual feast for the senses. Perhaps because this park is off the mainland, therefore when I visited it, I didn't see hordes of tourists. On the contrary, this park is popular with the locals as Bungalows and Cottages are available for rental. The park is pretty big, so set aside at least 11/2-2 to cover its grounds. Satisfy your hunger pangs at any of the restaurants or lay a mat on the grass and have a picnic! I enjoyed strolling through Omoide-dori as it is a replicate of an old town. If your child loves animals, there is a "mini zoo" there too.












The rental cottages -



Getting there
Board the subway in Hakata to Meinohama Station, take the Nishitetsu Bus to Nokonoshima Ferry Terminal. You can either walk to the park or take the bus bound for the Park.

It takes about 30-45mins to walk there and here are snapshots of the view along the way -










Signing off this post, with pics of Cherry Blossoms. The smell of Cherry Blossoms reminded me Almonds