The annual Taibo Temple Fair opened in Meili town, Xinwu district, Wuxi on Feb 23 this year. [Photo/WeChat account: meicunrizhi]

The annual Taibo Temple Fair opened in Meili town, Xinwu district, Wuxi on Feb 23 this year, making it Wuxi's first temple fair in the Year of Dog.

The temple fair commemorates Wu Taibo, the founder of Wu culture, who is praised for his nobility and humility in giving away his crown to his younger brother. Wu culture is immensely popular in Wuxi and throughout Jiangsu province.

Taibo Temple is located near the entrance of the ancient town. It is now Wuxi’s largest and best-preserved architectural complex of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

A ceremony to worship ancestors and Wu Taibo at Taibo Temple, Meili town, Xinwu district, Wuxi, Feb 23. [Photo/WeChat account: meicunrizhi]

Every January 9 of the Chinese lunar calendar, hundreds of thousands of Wuxi residents go to the local Taibo Temple in Meili town to worship their ancestors and take part in various activities. The temple fair is one of the most significant events in the city and in all of Jiangsu province.

In July 2007, the Taibo Temple Fair was approved as one of Wuxi's first Intangible Cultural Heritages. It was listed as a Jiangsu Intangible Cultural Heritage in July 2009, and was named a National Intangible Heritage for the fourth time in December 2014.

The fair will run for 8 days, and will feature 18 troupes performing the lion dance, waist drum, stilt walking, and other local folk acts.

The organizer offered hand-drawn maps that mark all the events clearly, including the schedule, lists of intangible cultural heritages, and special local food. This added some extra flavor to the traditional temple fair.