The Temple Fair of Ghost City

The Temple Fair of Ghost City – Legend

The Temple Fair of Ghost City has a long history which can be traced back to Ming Dynasty. Legend says that the temple fair is held in the memory of the marriage of the King of Hell. The Temple Fair of Ghost City is held on the third of March of lunar calendar every year. On this special day, visitors and pilgrims gather here to celebrate the temple fair. The main event of the temple fair is going on pilgrimages to the temples of Ghost City. And there are many other performances, inlcuding The Wedding Ceremony of the King of Hell, The Inspection Visit of Chenghuang (the city god), The Marriage of Zhongkui's Sister and Ghost City Dance. All these performances are interesting and marvelous.

The Temple Fair of Ghost City –Background

In ancient China, Chinese believe that there exists three world, Heaven, human world and nether world. In Chinese legend, the nether world is more like human world. There are good ghosts and bad ghosts. The nether world is the place where people go after they die. There are many types of hells in neather world. The most famous is 18-level Hell. People will be punished here if they did bad things before they die. Yanwang (King of Hell) is the god who rules the nether world. The Temple Fair of Ghost City is held in memory of the wedding of the King of Hell. It is also for local people to pray for good luck and happiness.

The Temple Fair of Ghost City – Development

Fengdu Ghost City is one of the most important scenic area of Chongqing which is located on the bank of Yangtze River. Since 1988, twelve temple fairs of Ghost City have been successfully held. The Temple Fair of Ghost City has a long history. Before 1949 it was called Incense Fair and it was called temple fair after 1949. It has become a culture festival of Fengdu Ghost City. As the tourist industry develops, the temple fair has also become an important event for promoting Chinese traditions and culture.