Guozijian cultural festival starts

A three-day First Guozijian Cultural Festival was opened in Guozijian Street Dongcheng District, Beijing on June 10, 2009. 10 selected national famous historical and cultural streets were announced officially, among which Guozijian Strett was the sole selected street in Beijing,

Guozijian Street has a history of over 700 years, entrance to the street connects to the Lama Temple in the east, the perfumed aroma of sandalwood from the incense shops fills the air, yet gradually, the scent of ancient books prevails as you explore further down the street and towards the Confucian Temple and Imperial College which were the former site of the Capital Library and the Capital Museum.

The Confucian Temple was the place where emperors offered sacrifices to Confucius, Guozijian was the highest educational institution and administering organ of education set up by the state during the three dynasties of Yuan, Ming, Qing。They both are key sites of cultural relics that the government is committed to preserve.

You can often see little shops like this selling craftworks by the local handicraftsman, these traditional art attracts lots of foreigners, who try to find out how this small shop in Beijing has been producing traditional play things to compete with modern toys

During the festival, 40,000 Chinese literature classics of The Analects of Confucius will be offered to local residents and tourists for free at the Guozijian Imperial Academy. And also over 30 book corners have also been opened.

Activities during the cultural festival include painting and calligraphy exhibitions focusing on The Analects of Confucius and depicted on the Beijing Confucius Temple, more than 130 works on display, live performances of different cultural styles and tastes such as waist drumming and dance.