Museums and scenic spots across China are introducing innovative activities to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, allowing visitors to savor traditional culture and share festive moments with their family members.
The festival, which lands on Tuesday this year, is one of the most important annual traditions in China and is a time for family reunions, appreciating the full moon, lighting lanterns, and sharing the holiday pastry of mooncakes.
In Luoyang City of central China's Henan province, museums have extended their opening hours, and introduced refreshing educational activities for families to enjoy together.
Many have taken the chance to experience more Chinese history and culture during the holiday period, with visitors saying they were pleased to gain more deep historical insights through the exhibitions.
"The docent's introduction revealed to me many fascinating stories behind the cultural relics and during the excavation, which made history more tangible for me. For our younger generations, only through understanding our history better can we strengthen our cultural confidence and inherit the fine elements of Chinese culture," said Chen Jia'er, a visitor.
Museum staff are also holding special events and have brought in additional help to meet the increased holiday demand.
"We launched enameled glass night lamp event in Luoyang Museum, titled 'Meet the Goddess of Moon Palace,' for children and parents to explore the culture and tradition of Mid-Autumn Festival together. During the festival, we also added extra shifts for docents and volunteers to deliver a better cultural experience to visitors," said Li Chenfei, the deputy head of the social education department of Luoyang Museum.
In Zhangjiajie City of the central Hunan Province, a blend of Mid-Autumn traditions, festival mythology, and modern sports brought visitors an innovative experience. In addition to various performances of traditional arts, China's mythical ancient moon goddess Chang'e, the protagonist of Mid-Autumn mythology, made an appearance in the Tianmen Mountain scenic area, with a daring arrival on a hot-air balloon, with paragliders escorting the actor portraying her.
"We saw a real Chang'e flying to the moon. It perfectly captures the Mid-Autumn atmosphere, and helped us tourists, who are far away from our hometown, to feel the warmth and unity of the festival," said a tourist from south China's Fujian Province surnamed Chen.
"It is quite eye-opening. The fusion of traditional culture and extreme sports is special," said a local visitor surnamed Jiang.
Museums, scenic spots introduce Innovative activities to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival
