China News Service, Qufu, Shandong Province, September 29 (Reporters Zhao Xiao and Qi Jianyue) As an important part of the 2026 China International Confucius Cultural Festival, the "Elegance and Benefiting Thousands of Families" Confucius Culture Temple Fair is being held lively on Wuma Temple Street in the ancient city of Qufu. The temple fair integrates intangible cultural heritage performances, folk custom experiences, and cultural and creative markets, realizing the vivid transformation of traditional culture from "the height of temples" to "the world of fireworks".
Walking into the temple fair, a number of representative intangible cultural projects such as regular wood carving, Nishan inkstone, curium art, and glass firing come into view, attracting citizens and tourists to stop and experience it. Local agricultural products and cultural and creative trendy products gathered together, and people shuttled among the stalls to buy their favorite products and taste the delicious food on their tongues. A total of 46 exhibition stalls are set up on site, divided into three major sections: intangible cultural heritage market, food market, and good product market.
NPCs parade around in ancient costumes, taking photos and interacting with tourists. Photo by Zhao Xiao
Chu Desheng, the provincial representative inheritor of Qufu regular wood carving, a national intangible cultural representative project, brought Confucius statues, Ruyi and other crafts to the temple fair for sale. He told reporters that the art of regular wood carving has a history of more than 2,000 years. It originated when Zigong used regular wood to carve the seated statues of Confucius and his wife Qi Guanshi. It has developed into various techniques such as round carving, relief carving, and hollow carving. "For this temple fair, I specially selected some small items so that tourists can carry them with them and take culture home."
Kong Ling'an, the 76th generation grandson of Confucius who graduated from a traditional Chinese medicine school, brought traditional moxibustion therapy to the temple fair. “From Confucius’ ‘self-moxibustion when there is no illness’ recorded in ‘Zhuangzi: Robber Zhi’ to ‘Mencius’ saying that ‘for a seven-year illness, one should seek moxibustion for three years’, traditional moxibustion has been integrated with Confucian culture for a long time.” Kong Lingan said that moxa-moxibustion has the conditioning effects of warming meridians, strengthening Yang and strengthening the foundation, and is very popular among the local people.
Foreign students experience traditional moxibustion at the temple fair. Photo by Zhao Xiao
"Every project at the temple fair is full of fun and attracts me to try it." Shanghai Tian, a young student from Sri Lanka, said after experiencing the art of stone rubbing. In the past, he had only learned Confucius' famous sayings from books and classes. This visit to the temple fair gave him a more intuitive and concrete understanding of Confucius' culture.
Citizens learn about glaze firing techniques at temple fairs. Photo by Zhao Xiao
"The core original intention of holding the Confucius Culture Temple Fair is to promote Confucian culture out of the classics, into the streets and alleys, and integrate into people's lives." Chu Yanli, deputy mayor of Qufu City, said that the city has focused on making the temple fair a warm, high-quality, and dynamic cultural feast, fully demonstrating the open and inclusive style of the holy city of the times, and allowing citizens and tourists to feel the vigorous vitality of traditional culture. (over)
