Tem­ple fairs are a key part of Chi­nese New Year cel­e­bra­tions, which this year marks the Year of the Horse.

For the first time, Am­bas­sador of the Peo­ple’s Re­pub­lic of Chi­na Ren Hongyan and his wife at­tend­ed the Fourth Chi­nese Spring Fes­ti­val Tem­ple Fair at An­chor­age, Ch­aguara­mas.

The fair drew mem­bers of the diplo­mat­ic corps, par­lia­men­tary rep­re­sen­ta­tives, and oth­er dis­tin­guished guests. Vis­i­tors en­joyed a va­ri­ety of cul­tur­al ac­tiv­i­ties, in­clud­ing tra­di­tion­al dance and mu­sic per­formed by chil­dren and mem­bers of the Chi­nese com­mu­ni­ty.

A high­light of the fes­ti­val was a drag­on boat race, where stu­dents from sev­er­al schools show­cased skill and team­work in a spir­it­ed com­pe­ti­tion.

The event al­so fea­tured a “Chi­nese Wall,” where am­bas­sadors signed their names and ex­tend­ed New Year greet­ings to the Chi­nese com­mu­ni­ty. Am­bas­sador Hongyan praised the or­gan­is­ers and at­ten­dees, wish­ing every­one a Hap­py Chi­nese New Year of the Horse.