The Chaoyang Garden Festival and Vernal Equinox Cultural Festival at Ritan Park

Yesterday, 3.20, was the day of the Vernal Equinox in the lunar calendar, and Ritan Park was even more bustling than a temple fair. The first Beijing Chaoyang Garden Festival and the seventeenth Vernal Equinox Chaoyang Cultural Festival kicked off at Ritan Park. Besides the opening ceremony at the Round Altar at nine in the morning, which required tickets for entry, all activities at the main venue and throughout the park were free of charge after ten o'clock. Parks across the Chaoyang District had flower bed displays, and despite the season still being a mix of warm and cold, most were decorated with fresh flowers. Along the red walls in the park, there was a large-scale Spring Festival cultural market. Starting at ten o'clock, there were performances on the central stage, as well as surrounding activities such as lion dancing, wrestling, and community dance team performances. In the past, Ritan Park's Vernal Equinox events were generally antique sacrificial performances to the heavens. This year's Vernal Equinox has incorporated more green landscaping activities, promoting traditional Chinese culture and intangible cultural heritage, attracting a large number of residents and tourists to participate. Ritan Park, in ancient times, was the place where emperors worshipped the sun god on the day of the Vernal Equinox. Historical records show that during the Ming dynasty's Longqing and Chongzhen reigns, and the Qing dynasty's Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Daoguang reigns, emperors personally offered sacrifices at Ritan. The Chaoyang Garden Festival and Vernal Equinox Cultural Festival at Ritan Park will continue until the end of March. Ritan Park has no admission fee and is located near Jianguomen.