More than 100 foreign diplomats and students in southwest China's Chongqing came together Tuesday, ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, to experience festive customs and traditional Chinese culture firsthand.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. Across China, people celebrate the day by gathering for moon-gazing, eating mooncakes, and lighting colorful lanterns. This year, the festival falls on Sept 25.
The celebration began with an immersive journey into Eastern philosophy as foreign dignitaries and guests, dressed in elegant Tai Chi attire, learned the gentle yet powerful movements of the ancient martial art under expert instruction.
"It's my first time to practice Tai Chi. What impressed me the most is, you know, the soft activity, the soft action of Tai Chi. But something I feel hot inside. From the festival, it is the day that we people from around the world and from everywhere come and share a happy time together," said Van Vithyea, Cambodian Consul General in Chongqing.
International participants also tried their hands at mooncake making: kneading dough, wrapping fillings, and pressing intricate patterns into the traditional pastries.
"It's a moment that you spend together with the people that are closer to you and that you share some strong bond with them. So it's really an important festival and I think it's also some good connection with the Italian culture that we like to spend festivals with family and close friends," said Fabio Schina, Italian Consul General in Chongqing.
International students also participated in other traditional crafts, including making herbal bracelets and practicing Chinese calligraphy.
"This is a really special holiday for Chinese people and they celebrate them like so bright and so cool. And I really like to be a part of this festival and I can be a part of this culture, of China," said Mariia Onegina, a Russian student at Southwest University.
Another Russian student, Arsenii Dolgopolov, described the gathering as a good opportunity to taste Chinese culture and communicate with local people.
"[It is] the greatest opportunity to involve myself to the culture of China, [and] wonderful experience to communicate with people, to communicate Russian culture and Chinese culture, like this shirt, like this some traditional jewelry," said Dolgopolov.
The evening concluded with participants sharing a large commemorative mooncake. On this special occasion, the Mid-Autumn Festival served as a vibrant bridge where diverse cultures met, proving that shared longings for peace and togetherness can bridge any distance.
Foreign diplomats, students experience traditional Mid-Autumn Festival in southwest China
