The Mid-Autumn festival is coming soon

"Zhong Qiu Jie", which is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival,is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. It is atime for family members and loved ones to congregate and enjoy the full moon -an auspicious symbol of abundance, harmony and luck. Adults will usuallyindulge in fragrant mooncakes of many varieties with a good cup of piping hotChinese tea, while the little ones run around with their brightly-lit lanterns.

"Zhong Qiu Jie" probably began as a harvest festival. Thefestival was later given a mythological flavour with legends of Chang-E, thebeautiful lady in the moon.

According to Chinese mythology, the earth once had 10 suns circling overit. One day, all 10 suns appeared together, scorching the earth with theirheat. The earth was saved when a strong archer, Hou Yi, succeeded in shootingdown 9 of the suns. Yi stole the elixir of life to save the people from histyrannical rule, but his wife, Chang-E drank it. Thus started the legend of thelady in the moon to whom young Chinese girls would pray at the Mid-AutumnFestival.

In the 14th century, the eating of mooncakes at "Zhong Qiu Jie"was given a new significance. The story goes that when Zhu Yuan Zhang wasplotting to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty started by the Mongolians, the rebelshid their messages in the Mid-Autumn mooncakes. Zhong Qiu Jie is hence also acommemoration of the overthrow of the Mongolians by the Han people.

During the Yuan Dynasty (A.D.1206-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolianpeople. Leaders from the preceding Sung Dynasty (A.D.960-1279) were unhappy atsubmitting to foreign rule, and set how to coordinate the rebellion without itbeing discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festivalwas drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Packed into eachmooncake was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the MoonFestival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. Whatfollowed was the establishment of the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). Today,moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this event.

Mid-Autumn Day is a traditional festival in China. Almost everyone likes to eatmooncakes on that day. Most families have a dinner together to celebrate thefestival. A saying goes, "The moon in your hometown is almost always thebrightest and roundest". Many people who live far away from homes want togo back to have a family reunion. How happy it is to enjoy the moon cakes whilewatching the full moon with your family members.