Qianmen temple fair (庙会 miaohui)

Now that we've survived the fireworks, it's time for miaohuis -- temple fairs -- which brings out the city's best lanterns, banners and kitsch. You can always tell you're nearing a temple fair when you begin passing people holding flywheels and stuffed animals. It's a commercial slopfest.

Earlier today I took these pictures at the Qianmen temple fair:






Qianmen was renovated last year and I now don't recognize it at all. (I went to six miaohuis last year, Qianmen included... unless it wasn't Qianmen but Chongwenmen.)

More images: