As the Mid-Autumn Festival arrives, colorful festivities are lighting up communities across China, reflecting the rich and enduring charm of the nation's cultural traditions.
The festival, celebrated annually on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar, falls on Friday this year. As one of China's most important traditional holidays, it is a joyous time when families come together, admire the full moon and share mooncakes, to mark the harvest season.
In the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, many people in north China's Tianjin Municipality chose to immerse themselves in history and culture by visiting the Tianjin Museum.
The museum not only showcased exhibits themed around the festival, but also launched several limited-edition Mid-Autumn cultural products which are well-liked by visitors.
"I think it's pretty good. It also fits perfectly with the Mid-Autumn Festival theme. And its full-moon pattern symbolizes family reunion," said Yang Lixia, a tourist.
The celebrations also reached Meizhou City of south China's Guangdong Province, where a fire dragon dance lit up the night in celebration of the holiday, electrifying the crowd as it passed through.
"We've watched many great shows. It has a wonderful cultural atmosphere, and my kid really enjoys it," said Shen Mingzhu, a visitor.
As night fell in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, villagers in Zhiping Town staged a fish lantern parade, beating gongs and drums as they carried the two-meter-long lantern through the streets.
The procession has been a long-standing local tradition, with the fish symbolizing abundance, good fortune and prosperity.
"The fish lantern performance was absolutely amazing. A giant fish seemed to swim through the night, so lifelike and full of charm," said Yin Zhehao, a tourist.
Meanwhile, Guilin Village in east China's Fujian Province drew visitors for this year's Mid-Autumn Festival with its rustic scenery and a range of intangible cultural heritage activities, capping off the evening with a steaming traditional village feast.
Colorful celebrations across China highlight enduring charm of Mid-Autumn Festival
Colorful celebrations across China highlight enduring charm of Mid-Autumn Festival
Chinese businesses said they are seeing rising sales of Mid-Autumn Festival goods boosted by demand from both domestic and international customers, with creative products that blend both classic and modern touches being most sought after.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. Around China, people celebrate the day by gathering for moon-gazing, eating mooncakes, and lighting colorful lanterns. This year, the festival falls on Sept 25.
In east China's Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province, some business operators are busy sending Mid-Autumn Festival goods to international customers.
One of them is Sun Lingjuan, whose store has rolled out a set of special products, including earrings, bracelets, and necklaces to meet the rising demand.
"We informed our clients of the new products three months in advance. We received more orders for this set of products from Southeast Asian countries, such as Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia," said Sun.
Chinese lanterns with various Mid-Autumn Festival-themed patterns are also attracting increasing customers.
"We started wholesale shipments about half a month ago. Now, we are receiving growing offline orders from small buyers. We got large wholesale orders about half a month ago. We are also replenishing some of our products," said Yu Xiaoqian, a Chinese lantern seller.
In Shanghai, a novel type of mooncakes in yellow-rice-wine flavor is enjoying rising popularity among consumers.
Li Ronghua, general manager of Shanghai Liangxin Food Company Limited, said the mooncakes have seen higher-than-expected sales since they were put on the market last year, and the company is now producing over 50,000 pieces daily. Li said their products are also attracting Hong Kong customers and they have sent a batch of yellow-rice-wine flavored mooncakes to the region through cold chain.
"We decided to use five-year-old yellow rice wine for our mooncakes to produce layering flavors. Once customers get our pork mooncakes home, they can simply heat them up in an oven or air fryer and then enjoy a delicious treat," said Li.
According to the latest data, Shanghai Customs has supervised the export of over 40 tonnes of mooncakes valued at about 4 million yuan (about 600,000 U.S. dollars). They were destined for multiple countries and regions, including the United States, Australia, and Malaysia.
Chinese businesses see rising sales of Mid-Autumn Festival goods
