Chinese celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with mooncakes, folk activities

People across China have held various festive activities, particularly traditional mooncake making and folk performances among others, over the past few days, to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival which falls on Monday.

The festival is celebrated annually on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese calendar. As one of China's most important traditional holidays, it is a joyous time when family members appreciate the full moon together and share mooncakes, a traditional pastry, to mark the harvest season and an occasion of family reunion.

In Rongxian County, Yulin City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the famed Shatian Pomelo mooncakes are quite popular among people for their unique flavor and pomelo-shaped design.

In making the time-honored specialty food, local businesses have deeply integrated premium Shatian Pomelo resources with traditional mooncake craftsmanship, creating mooncakes with strong local characteristics that serve as a Mid-Autumn Festival must-eat.

"Rongxian County is reputed as the hometown of Shatian Pomelos, so this year we're focusing on promoting our Shatian Pomelo mooncakes. Building on the original recipe, we've added a sweet-and-sour Guangxi citrus filling, making them even more popular," said Feng Linping, manager of a local bakery.

In Siyang County, east China's Jiangsu Province, a festival fair unfolds within a neighborhood.

At the craft workshop, children transform colorful paper into uniquely shaped lanterns with parental guidance.

In the mooncake-making zone, they learn to knead dough, wrap fillings and press molds.

"Rarely do I get to make crafts with my child. Today, we made lanterns and mooncakes together. It brought us closer to traditional culture and felt especially meaningful," said Wang Qi, a parent at the event.

Along the Longquan Stream, a tributary of the Oujiang River in Longquan City, east China's Zhejiang Province, lanterns hang high.

Children sing nursery rhymes under the moonlight on the streets.

Tourists stroll with lanterns, immersing themselves in the festive atmosphere where tradition and modernity intertwine.

In addition, folk performances unfolds with lively energy.

Beneath a thousand-year-old camphor tree, visitors pause to write down their wishes.

Chinese celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with mooncakes, folk activities

U.S. stocks ended lower on Tuesday as climbing U.S. Treasury yields continued to weigh on investor sentiment.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 322.24 points, or 0.65 percent, to 49,363.88. The The Standard and Poor's 500 sank 49.44 points, or 0.67 percent, to 7,353.61, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index shed 220.03 points, or 0.84 percent, to close at 25,870.71.

A primary source of downward pressure came from the fixed-income market. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note climbed back above 4.6 percent, while the 30-year Treasury yield nearly touched 5.2 percent, marking its highest level in nearly 19 years.

The high-yield environment acted as a drag on high-valuation growth sectors, which are particularly sensitive to elevated interest rates. Six of the 11 primary The Standard and Poor's 500 sectors closed in negative territory, with materials and communication services leading the declines by dropping 2.27 percent and 1.58 percent, respectively. In contrast, the healthcare sector gained 1.09 percent and the energy sector advanced 1.03 percent.

Market participants are also focusing on Wednesday's upcoming after-hours earnings release from Nvidia.

U.S. stocks close lower amid rising yields