Vitality and Modernity: Defining the “Folk” in Early Twentieth Century China

As usual, the 2005 Chinese Rooster New Year celebrations in Beijing highlighted the annual Earth Temple Fair (Ditan Miaohui) as an indispensable attraction. In recent years, this entertaining space featuring red lanterns, lion dances, and revived folk performances has been widely and officially advocated as an occasion and place to appreciate “national culture (minzu wenhua)” and to experience “folk culture (minsu wenhua).” In the commodified and globalized metropolitan capital of the nation, the Fair forms a symbolic space where traditionality is celebrated to label national identity. [excerpt