Shanghai Longhua Temple Fair

Shanghai Longhua Temple Fair is one of the famous traditional temple fairs in East China. Now it has also transformed into a unique modern urban temple fair. In 2008, Longhua Temple Fair was listed by the State Council in the list of the second batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage. According to legend, Longhua Temple was the Bodhimanda of Maitreya Bodhisattva. On each Nirvana Day of Budai, the incarnation of Maitreya Bodhisattva, Longhua Temple would hold a grand commemorative dharma assembly, and a Land and Water Bodhimanda for the public. During the commemorative dharma assembly, numerous Buddhists gathered in the temple, and as a result, the temple fair gradually developed. The origin of Longhua Temple can be traced to the Tang Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty, the formal date of the temple fair was postponed from March 3 to March 15 (Chinese lunar calendar). This was combined with the custom of peach blossom enjoying in Shanghai, increasing both the scale and influence and entertainment content of the temple fair, and making the temple fair enter its heyday. After the 1920s, the temple fair transformed from a rural temple fair to an urban temple fair. Following the reform and opening-up, the government got involved in organizing the temple fair, bringing it into a new stage: from a temple fair paying respect for Buddha to a comprehensive temple fair integrating sightseeing, trade, catering, culture and entertainment. The development of the temple fair also gives birth to numerous legends, poems, proverbs and other literary works. This reflects the important role of the temple fair in people’s life as well as its enormous influence and strong radiation.