QINGDAO Haiyun Nunnery Sugar-coated Hawsticks Festival was held at Haiyun Square in Qingdao from Feb. 18 to 26. Qingdao Folk Culture Museum was opened on Haiyun Street on the same day.

    Qingdao Haiyun Nunnery, built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), is located on Haiyun Street. It is a Taoist temple with a history of more than 500 years.

    The name of the temple originated from an ancient fairytale. It is said that a huge log reached the shore one day over 500 years ago. A family was on the log, which had saved their lives from an accident at sea.

    Local residents considered the log as a blessing from the gods, and built a temple with it. A large group of cranes inhabited the area near the temple, which was surrounded by mist all year round and it was named Qingdao Haiyun Nunnery.

    Every year, a temple fair is held on Jan. 16 on the Chinese lunar calendar and villagers visit to burn incense, make wishes and pray to the gods for a good harvest and safety at sea.

    Folk artists gather and give performances and vendors display their products along the street. As time passed, the temple fair became known as the Qingdao Haiyun Nunnery Sugar-coated Hawsticks Festival.

    The sugar-coated hawsticks festival has now become one of the 10 folk culture festivals in China, featuring exhibitions and performances of pottery making, paper-cutting, traditional operas, shadow plays and folk dances. (Jane Lai, Chen Quan)