The sound of drums, cymbals and trumpets added to the festive atmosphere of the Chinese Temple Fair, in celebration of the Chinese New Year, and although I could not distinguish a particular tune, it was very lively and appreciated by the Chinese people. Seated around a table in another part of the Gardens, a group of older men were also giving a performance with their classical instruments, attracting the attention of the passers-by, including some young boys, whom I am sure would have been just as familiar with Western Disco Music.
Chinese Temple Fair Decorations of Red Lanterns on Bridges in Grand View Gardens
Although I had been at the Grand View Gardens at the height of Summer, in blazing heat, and at the height of Winter with a thin layer of snow on the ground and the trees covered in hoar frost, I had never seen the Grand View Gardens decorated with so many flags and bunting. One bridge was festooned with a mass of red lanterns for the Chinese Spring Festival making it a spectacular sight in the bright sunlight.
The color Red is undoubtedly much favored by Chinese people, but can anyone tell me the reason Why ?
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The Chinese Temple Fair in Beijing which celebrated, "The Year Of The Rabbit" and held at the Grand View Gardens, was an event which made up for the lack of firecrackers on New Year's Eve. At the entrance to the gardens, a huge 3D picture of rabbits was a popular background for photographs, even for the dance troupes who had been performing outside the gardens, for the Chinese Temple Fair, to the sounds of trumpets and drums. The layout of the Gardens is based on a very famous Chinese classic titled, "A Dream Of Red Mansions", and although I had visited the gardens many times before, to be on a visit during a Chinese Temple Fair for the Spring Festival was a new and exciting experience. To get to the Garden entrance we had to pass many stalls and then to squeeze pass crowds of people watching dancers in the courtyard. My attempts to get photos of the dancing Dragon and Lions was thwarted by the crowds ! 