By Lu Ying

MEMORY OF KUNMING:THE GOLDEN HALL TEMPLE FAIR

By Lu Ying

Annual festival brings prayer and cheer to capital of southwestern China's Yunnan Province

Atop Fengming Mountain in the northeastern corner of Kunming, capital of southwestern China’s Yunnan Province, stands a copper-cast structure that dates back to 1671. It is the Zhenwu (literally, “The Lord of True Martiality”) Hall.

The largest of its kind in China, the copper hall weighs 250 tons and measures 6.8 meters in height and 7.8 meters in length and width. Glistening in the sun, the copper shrine is thus popularly known as “Golden Hall”. It features an elegant structure and vivid carvings, demonstrating the superb skills and wisdom of ancient Chinese coppersmiths. In 1982, the State Council of China listed it as a Key Cultural Site under State Protection.

Enshrined in the hall is a statue of Lord Zhenwu, a God of Taoism (an indigenous Chinese religion). Historically, on the ninth day of the fi rst lunar month each year, a ceremony was held to worship the Taoist God. With the passage of time, the ceremony gradually began to incorporate folk entertainment activities with local fl avor such as lantern shows, dragon lantern dances and antiphonal singing, as well as commercial and trade activities. As a result, the event has turned into a temple fair, which locals call the Zhenwu Fair or the Golden Hall Temple Fair.

Historical records show that the temple fair has been in existence for more than 400 years. Every year, the event attracts a large number of pilgrims who come to of f er sacrif i ces and pray for good harvest and health. Carrying candles and incense sticks along with them, as well as their good wishes, pilgrims climb step-by-step from the foot of the mountain to reach the Golden Hall after passingthrough three archways. They burn incense sticks and paper, kneel down and pray before the statue of Lord Zhenwu. After that, they proceed to the Purple Forbidden City behind the Golden Hall, where one by one, they touch a stone statue of Lord Zhenwu and pray for health and prosperity for themselves and their families.

The Golden Hall in the glow of the morning sun.

After the prayer ritual, it is time for recreation and entertainment. Occurring just a few days after the Spring Festival, the Golden Hall Temple Fair has become an integral part of local celebrations for the Chinese New Year holiday. At the temple fair, which lasts several days, folk artists and handicraftsmen showcase a variety of performances and skills, including lantern dances, Yunnan Opera, folk songs, dragon lantern dances, antiphonal singing, straw sachet weaving, sugar painting, painted dough sculpting and Yunnanstyle kite-f l ying. Music and dance performances make the entire Fengming Mountain a bustling place. Food stands selling snacks such as cold rice noodles and grilled rice cakes are scattered from the foot of the mountain to the mountaintop. Tourists watch blooming wild fl owers while enjoying folk performances. All of these combine to form a world of joy and affluence.

The temple fair is considered an important traditional festival by Kunming residents. During the event, numerous people, old and young, men and women, carry sacrif i ces and walk up the mountain to pay homage to Lord Zhenwu. The daily number of visitors to the temple fair often exceeds 60,000.

A time-honored folk event in Kunming, the Golden Hall Temple Fair integrates religious beliefs as well as the city’s indigenous folk entertainments and has become an integral part of the local economy and culture. A traditional Spring Festival celebration handed down for four centuries, it has been deeply imprinted in the memories of the people of Kunming generation after generation.