Jingzhongshan Temple Fair (selected into the first batch of Tangshan Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2009) Jingzhongshan Temple Fair in Qianxi County is a major feature of the folk culture of Jingzhongshan Tourist Area. During the two temple fairs on April 18 and October 15 of the lunar calendar every year, tourists from Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Tang, Chengde, Qin, Inner Mongolia and other places flock to the temple fair, and merchants from all over the world gather here. Folk cultural activities such as singing and dancing, Pingju opera, circus, shadow puppetry, and flower fairs are rich and colorful. People either worship the religious holy land that combines Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, or are attracted by folk cultural activities, or come here to engage in business activities. The number of tourists at the temple fairs twice a year can exceed 300,000. Jingzhong Mountain is located in Santunying Town, Qianxi County, Tangshan. It is a national AAAA-level scenic spot. Nearly a hundred temple buildings are scattered among the mountains. The Bixia Yuanjun Temple, a temple fair and sacrificial site, is located on the top of the mountain. It is a cultural relic protection unit in Hebei Province. It was first built in the second year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1523) and destroyed by fire in the eighth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty (1635). The existing building was rebuilt in the seventeenth year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1660) with 20,000 silver coins allocated by Emperor Shizu of the Qing Dynasty. Ma Yong and Qi Jiguang, the governors of Santunying Town in Jizhen, left important traces here. Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty visited this mountain in person and issued an edict to invite Master Bieshan to Beijing to preach Buddhism. Emperor Kangxi visited this mountain and inscribed the plaques "Famous Mountain in the World" and "Spiritual Mountain with Beautiful Scenery", and granted incense, golden Bodhisattva and Buddhist scriptures. Li Hongzhang climbed this mountain and inscribed the plaque "Lotus Seat Cihui". The long tradition, rich cultural heritage and strong religious atmosphere have provided favorable conditions for the folk belief that has lasted for 500 years. The Jingzhongshan Temple Fair, with Santunying Town as its center, radiates to Shandong, Hebei, Beijing and Tianjin. It originated in the Ming Dynasty, flourished in the Qing Dynasty, and continues to this day. There are two concentrated incense offerings and sacrifices every year, on the 18th day of the fourth lunar month and the 15th day of the tenth lunar month. In the second year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1523), Ma Yong, the general of Jizhen, built the Bixia Palace on the top of Jingzhong Mountain, and pilgrims began to come. In the 29th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1601), You Jiguang, the general of Jizhen, expanded the Bixia Palace, and the number of pilgrims increased day by day. In the eighth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty (1635), it was destroyed by fire. Later, the good guard Zhang Tianli and the abbot Xingchun led the crowd to rebuild it, and then concentrated on worship and incense offerings, forming a temple fair. Emperor Shizu of the Qing Dynasty allocated 20,000 silver coins for additional repairs, and the Zen Master Bieshan of Jingzhong Mountain came to Beijing to promote Buddhism. Emperor Kangxi visited the temple and inscribed a plaque. He bestowed a golden Buddha (Golden Goddess) weighing 16.4 jin and a hall of 4,500 volumes of the Tripitaka, and allocated tens of thousands of taels of silver. The temple became famous and flourished, with its influence spreading throughout Jingdong. In 1966, the Cultural Revolution began and the temple fair was interrupted. In 1989, the people spontaneously organized the temple fair. In 1993, Jingzhongshan Tourism Company was established to unify the management of the ancient buildings and temple fairs on the mountain. In 1998, Jingzhongshan Tourism Company was transferred to Qianxi County Tourism Bureau. In October 2007, Qianxi County Government introduced private capital and jointly developed and constructed Jingzhongshan with Huatian Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., and established Hebei Qianxi Jingzhongshan Tourism Development Co., Ltd. The main hall on the top of Jingzhong Mountain enshrines and believes in Bixia Yuanjun, who is said to be the daughter of Taishan Emperor. She is highly respected by the people and is revered as an omniscient and omnipotent god. April 18 is her birthday. In the Qing Dynasty, there were Yuanjun Temples in Beijing, Tianjin, Rehe and other places, but Emperor Kangxi only named Bixia Yuanjun Temple in Jingzhong Mountain as Yuanjun Palace, which shows the status of Jingzhong Mountain at that time. Later, it evolved to the present day, forming a mountain where Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism coexist. The main day of the temple fair is April 18th of the lunar calendar. It mainly consists of four parts: 1. Temple monks and folk sacrificial activities. There are more than ten monks living in the temple. At that time, they will preside over the opening ceremony and do the temple with famous religious figures from all over the country. The temple fair starts on April 13th of the lunar calendar, and a big play must be invited. The villages and towns around Santunying also set up altars to carry out sacrificial activities. 2. Folk customs performances to add to the fun. There are stilts, ground yangko, lantern dance, dragon lantern, lion dance, donkey race, small car club, dry boat race, big head club, carrying pole, lifting pole, climbing people club, running square, overlord whip, waist drum dance, middle flag, martial arts club, as well as storytelling, falling drum book, two-person turn, shadow play, circus, flower fair and folk art performance. 3. Pilgrims worship and burn incense. There are 300,000 pilgrims from Shandong, Beijing, Tianjin, Chengde and Inner Mongolia. 4. Various folk trade activities. Because Jingzhong Mountain is well-known and has a huge influence, the transaction is extremely active. It is estimated that the cash transaction volume exceeds 100 million yuan. Jingzhongshan Temple Fair has a history of nearly 500 years. After continuous development from the Ming and Qing Dynasties to the Republic of China and up to now, it has formed the following basic characteristics: 1. In each historical period, there are famous teachers of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism - preaching, thus forming the religious diversity of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism in one mountain; 2. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, many emperors and important officials came to write plaques, give gifts and donate silver, which has a historical legend; 3. Due to its long history and mutual influence with the lives of the masses, it has become the best specimen for studying the folk culture of Jidong, with a large scale and far-reaching influence. The academic value of Jingzhongshan Temple Fair lies in that it is mainly the best specimen for studying the integration of religion and secular life in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and folk culture; the economic value lies in the comprehensive economic benefits of each temple fair reaching more than 100 million yuan, which greatly promotes the local economic development. Although the Jingzhongshan Temple Fair has been held every year since 1989, it has never been held on a large scale in recent years due to factors such as forest fire prevention and traffic safety. Various types of folk art groups have decreased, the scale of the temple fair has gradually shrunk, and the sacrificial rituals have become increasingly simplified. Some important rituals are in danger of being lost. At present, the Qianxi County Government and relevant departments are taking corresponding safeguard measures. We hope that the "Jingzhongshan Temple Fair" can regain its former glory, drive the development of tourism and related industries, and revitalize the local economy. Information source: Tangshan Municipal People's Government Information source: Tangshan Municipal People's Government