Flights of festival fancy coming to a park near you

Red lanterns hang high, pinwheels spin in the wind, children hold crab-apple candy sticks and vendors yell and sell all kinds of festive goodies. These images are the sights and sounds of the lively temple fairs that will be held in Beijing this weekend.

The one-week festival extravaganza usually starts with temple fairs, which are a unique and exhilarating culture experience for visitors. There is goodwill in the air as Beijingers become gripped by festival fever. Some couples even wait for this time to stage their traditional wedding ceremonies.

Festivals show off Chinese culture from a very detailed perspective. While enjoying the samplings of Chinese food and handicrafts, visitors can also appreciate artworks displayed by local artisans in more than 30 fairs in and out of Beijing.