 | Children dressed as monkeys pose for photos at a temple fair in Beijing on Chinese New Year's Day Thursday Jan. 22, 2004. Thousands flocked to temple fairs across the city to mark the beginning of the Year of the Monkey. click to open  |
 | An acrobat "fighting" with a tiger during an animal show at a temple fair in Beijing on Chinese New Year's Day Thursday Jan. 22, 2004. Thousands flocked to temple fairs across the city to mark the beginning of the Year of the Monkey. click to open |
 | Chinese travelers huddle together from the cold as they wait for their train at a train station in Beijing, China, Monday, Jan. 19, 2004. Given that China is home to more people than any other country, the travel statistics are mind-boggling: An unprecedented 1.89 billion journeys by bus, train, air or ship will be made during the Spring Festival travel season, centered around the Jan. 22 start of the new year, according to estimates by the ministries of railways and communications. (AP) click to open |
 | A model parades in a fashion show on the opening day of the Temple of the Earth fair in Beijing on the eve of Chinese New Year Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2004. Temples across the city are holding fairs to celebrate the Year of the Monkey, which begins Thursday. click to open |
 | A Chinese actor dressed as a Qing Dynasty emperor (C) arrives at a sacrificial ceremony to the gods by the emperor during a cultural performance at the Temple of the Earth in Beijing on the eve of the Chinese New Year, January 21, 2004. Residents in China's capital flock to temple fairs during the New Year of the Monkey which starts on January 22 to enjoy performances of martial arts, acrobatics, folk dances and fashion shows. click to open |
 | Chinese models parade in a fashion show on the opening day of the Temple of the Earth fair in Beijing on the eve of Chinese New Year Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2004. Temples across the city are holding fairs to celebrate the Year of the Monkey, which begins Thursday. click to open |
 | A vendor sells stuffed toy monkeys at the Temple of the Earth in Beijing on the eve of Chinese New Year, January 21, 2004. Residents in China's capital flock to temple fairs during the New Year of the Monkey, which starts on January 22, to enjoy performances of martial arts, acrobatics, folk dances and fashion shows. click to open |
 | A kitchen worker passes a tree decorated with traditional lanterns as he transports his utensils by a tricycle to a park in Beijing January 20, 2004 in preparation for the opening of a temple fairs to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Residents in China's capital flock to temple fairs during the New Year of the Monkey which starts on January 22 to enjoy performances of martial arts, acrobatics, folk dances and fashion shows. (Reuters) click to open |
 | In today's more affluent and permissive China, market forces have transformed the week-long holiday into an affair as fit for commercialism as Christmas is in the West. Here a Beijing man prepares for the new year on Jan 19th 2004. click to open |
 | Spring Festival 2000: Chinese youth try to break the world's record for the longest dragon dancing on the Great Wall outside of Beijing, China Saturday, February 19, 2000. The dragon was 10,000 feet long (3,048 meters) and took 3,200 people to carry it. (AP ) click to open |
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