On August 17, the fourth Qixi Cultural Festival and “July 7” Qingyin Temple Fair were held in Xigang Township, Xianju County. The day was China’s traditional “Qixi Festival”, with folk culture display activities such as “Jumping Horse Lantern”, “Rolling Dragon”, “Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea”, “Happiness, Wealth and Longevity”, and “Overlapping Arhats”, which enabled nearby villagers to once again appreciate the connotation and charm of traditional festival folk culture.
Every July 7th, Qingyin Temple in Xigang will hold the Qixi Folk Culture Festival and the “July 7th” Temple Fair. The temple fair relies on the folk legend of Lady Chen XIV, which is a relatively large folk belief activity and folk performance display activity. Its contents include worship, prayer, vow fulfillment, watching performances, watching the temple fair display, etc. The temple fair, which lasted for more than 500 years, began in the middle of the Ming Dynasty and took shape in the early Qing Dynasty. It contains rich local culture and Qixi culture, and continues the original performance style and historical features. Because it is located at the junction of Yongkang, Jinyun and Xianju counties, the temple fair activities not only have the local characteristics of Xianju, but also incorporate the cultural colors of Ou and Wu, presenting a colorful scene.
In 2010, the “July 7” temple fair of Qingyin Temple was officially listed in the third batch of intangible cultural heritage protection list of Zhejiang Province, and was rated as the protection base of traditional festival activities in Taizhou.