The annual Dongyue Temple Fair of Mount Tai kicked off on April 26 at Dai Temple in Tai'an, Shandong province.

The fair, which will last until May 5, provides visitors a chance to enjoy a wide range of traditional Chinese performances and folk activities.

The Dongyue Temple Fair can be traced back to the late Tang Dynasty (618-907) and reached its heyday during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It developed from a worship ceremony for the God of Mount Tai into a folk activity focusing on food, accommodation, transportation, tourism, entertainment, shopping, and religious culture. The event was included in the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage items.

This year's fair focuses on intangible cultural heritage and hosts more than 80 activities involving culture, folk customs, trade, and intangible cultural heritage items.

Nearly 40 representatives of national and provincial intangible cultural heritage items are displaying their works and techniques on site, including paper-cutting, sugar painting, dough modeling, qipao (a traditional Chinese dress for women) making techniques, and brush making.

The opening ceremony for the 2021 Dongyue Temple Fair of Mount Tai kicks off on Mount Tai, Shandong province on April 26. [Photo/Tai'an Daily]

A shadow puppet show is performed to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. [Photo/Tai'an Daily]

A handicraftsman shows off a sugar painting in the shape of a phoenix at the temple fair in Tai'an. [Photo/WeChat account: SDTXTA]

A craftswoman makes a paper-cutting at the temple fair in Tai'an. [Photo/WeChat account: SDTXTA]