Latest updates on the 2022 Beijing Ditan Temple Fair, to be held at the Flower Expo Park’s Blossom Hall

Reported by Chen Ruizhong / Taipei

Entering its third edition, the Beijing Ditan Cultural Temple Fair · Taipei Journey will take place from February 20 to 29 at the Blossom Hall of the Flower Expo Park. This year, in addition to performances by masters of intangible cultural heritage, there will also be a variety of famous Beijing snacks, allowing visitors to experience Beijing through their taste buds.

▲ The Beijing Jianbing Guy.

The Beijing Ditan Temple Fair was first launched in 1985 and is ranked alongside the Harbin Ice Lantern Festival, Zigong Lantern Festival, and Weifang Kite Festival as one of China’s four major mass cultural events. Since 2014, the Beijing Ditan Cultural Temple Fair has been held as the Taipei Journey event at the Flower Expo Park, attracting nearly 500,000 visitors over the past 10 years last year.

▲ This year’s Beijing Ditan Temple Fair introduces a new Taiwan Night Market section, where visitors can enjoy both Beijing and Taiwanese snacks.

The event area is divided into outdoor and indoor sections. The outdoor area features a Blessing Archway, a Blessing Light Zone, an ecological animal lantern zone, and a 5.8-meter-tall main lantern called the “Spirit Monkey,” which complements Taipei’s main lantern, the Fortune Monkey. In the indoor exhibition area, visitors can watch master artisans of intangible cultural heritage using specially bent 90-degree brushes to paint inside snuff bottles. There will also be exhibitions by time-honored brands such as Beijing Big Silver, Wu Yutai Tea, Magpie King, and North School Art Fans.

▲ The Ditan Temple Fair will display three Spirit Monkey main lanterns.

The most popular theme in previous years remains the authentic Beijing snack stalls. This year’s offerings include Jianbing guozi, traditional Beijing candied hawthorn skewers, fried glutinous rice cakes, and Beijing street food stalls. Additionally, this year introduces Taiwanese night market favorites like salt and pepper chicken, as well as culturally creative performances representing local heritage.

▲ Freshly made Beijing Jianbing — soft outside and crispy inside.

“Jianbing Guy,” who came specially from Beijing to make the dish, said that Beijing Jianbing is made by double-frying the batter, adding an egg, and topping it with spicy oil, fermented tofu paste, chopped scallions, and cilantro. The result is a pancake that’s soft on the outside and crispy on the inside — definitely worth trying in person.

Beijing Ditan Cultural Temple Fair · Taipei Journey
Venue: Blossom Hall, Flower Expo Park
Dates: February 20 ~ 29
Time: 13:30 ~ 21:30