A gala event held at Baotou Tielu No 1 Kindergarten included more than 1,000 participating children and heralded the Chinese New Year, according to a Jan 26 bt.wenming.cn report.

The event included performances of Peking opera, songs and dances, and featured a highlighting of the temples fairs of Baotou city.

Temple fairs, also known as miaohui, are usually housed in temples intended for the worship of Chinese gods and immortals around Chinese New Year, which this year falls on Feb 16. Temple fairs feature traditional customs and culture, from local snacks to cultural heritage displays and folk performances. 

A Peking opera performance at a gala event at Baotou Tielu No 1 Kindergarten. [Photo/bt.wenming.cn] 

Children perform with teachers in an item called Teahouse. [Photo/bt.wenming.cn]

Children and their teachers stage a play featuring shadow puppetry, an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment popular in China that uses articulated cut-out figures and projected light. With puppeteers controlling the figures and light, the flat characters appear to walk and dance [Photo/bt.wenming.cn]