Xinglongji Temple Fair is a folk custom project in the sixth batch of representative projects of municipal intangible cultural heritage in Huai'an. Historical evolution and distribution Xinglongji Temple Fair is a grand folk custom activity held by Buddhist people and the general public in the Hexi area of Xuyi County and the surrounding Sihong, Wuhe, Jiashan and other areas in the Xinglong Temple in Xinglong Township, Xuyi County. The temple fair is held on the 15th day of the first lunar month and the 30th day of the seventh lunar month every year. Xinglongji is located on a high hill in the northwest of Xinglong Township, Xuyi County. The Xinglong Temple built here has a long history and is well-known. Xinglong Temple was originally the site of the temple of Fei Wuji, a powerful official of the Chu State during the Warring States Period. It was first called the Fei Family Ancestral Hall and later the "Fei Family Temple". Legend has it that Monk Jigong of Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou came here to beg for alms and said that this place is facing the first mountain in the southeast and is a good place. The Fei family should not be allowed to abuse their power, but should benefit all living beings in this area, so it was converted into a temple. Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, believed that the Ming Dynasty originated here, so he named it "Xinglong Temple". Basic content and survival status Xinglong Temple Fair has a long history, and has a history of more than 200 years. There are three main contents: one is prayer activities. Pilgrims burn incense and lay Buddhists chant scriptures. The second is cultural activities. Dragon dance performances, flower boat performances, literary performances, etc. The third is business activities. Various snacks, general merchandise transactions, etc. Whenever the temple fair is held, believers and the general public from the surrounding Jiangsu and Anhui regions and both sides of the Huaihe River will come to burn incense and pray for blessings according to custom. At this time, Xinglong Temple was filled with incense and crowded with people. The temple fair not only promotes Buddhism, but also becomes a farmer's trade market, with prosperous transactions. It is not only a comprehensive temple fair that closely combines folk belief Buddhist activities, commodity markets, and folk entertainment, but also a major Buddhist event, cultural event, and trade event that local Buddhists and ordinary people are keen to promote. During the "Cultural Revolution", Xinglong Temple was once destroyed and the temple fair was forced to be interrupted. After the reform and opening up, local people and Buddhist figures spontaneously raised funds to rebuild the "Xinglong Temple", and the temple fair was restored. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the local government has taken practical measures to protect the normal holding of Buddhist activities during the Xinglongji Temple Fair, and has actively organized cultural performances and commodity trade. During this period, merchants from all over the world, and tourists from Jiangsu and Anhui who came to Xinglong Temple to pray for blessings, gathered here, and there were huge crowds of people. The Xinglongji Temple Fair combines Buddhist activities with folk beliefs and local social customs, advocates the traditional values of "advocating filial piety and promoting kindness, and avoiding disasters and avoiding evil", embodies the original belief of the people to be kind and auspicious, and essentially reflects the people's good wishes for health, peace and good fortune. Therefore, it has been passed down for a long time and has lasted for a long time. In particular, during the temple fair, artists and folk art groups from all over the country who heard the news came to dance lions, play lanterns, twist yangko, sing folk tunes, show their talents, and entertain the people, thus forming the unique characteristics of the Xinglongji Temple Fair.