A fair with a distinctly foreign flare opened Tuesday in east Beijing's Chaoyang Park amid the festive mood of the Chinese lunar New Year, or Spring Festival.

Folk dances and parades from the United States, Russia, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Turkey and Mexico attracted merrymakers accustomed to attending temple fairs and cultural events featuring all kinds of Chinese folk art.

At the Western style temple fair, visitors can join the parades and get a first-hand experience of the foreign holiday spree.

Meanwhile, people will have the chance to taste exotic food such as German roast suckling pig and Turkish barbecue. Special foreign New Year's gifts are available. Band performances and fashion shows are also staged.

The sponsor of the fair say that traditional temple fair has lost its luster for Beijing residents, who these days want more spice and adventure in their long-awaited holidays.

( China Daily February 13, 2002)