When silver moon rises above the sea, wherever we are, we will fix our eyes on it. On the eve of Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, the Peking University International Faculty Club organized a culture activity devoted to celebration of Mid-Autumn Festival. In the afternoon of September 29, the International Faculty Club invited more than 10 international teachers to the Shaoyuan canteen to learn more about Mid-Autumn Festival’s history and cultural aspects, to learn about the making of the Mid-Autumn Festival’s traditional cakes called moon cakes in English and “yuebing” in Chinese. This activity let the teachers feel the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the Peking University community.
During the two-hour activity, the international teachers listened to a lecture of student volunteers about the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival, its legends, meaning, customs, and in-depth understanding of the Chinese traditional culture behind the Mid-Autumn Festival. After the introduction, chefs demonstrated and led the teachers through the process of making moon cake from making dough and filling to putting the filling inside of the moon cakes and stamping the top of the moon cakes. Finally, the teachers were quite happy and excited to taste their own handmade moon cakes.
The process of making moon cakes was also a process of cultural exchanges and interaction among countries. For example, the teachers from the US did each step quite quickly, and adopted an American style of "the fastest, most efficient, and cost-effective" method of production, and they enjoyed the process; the French teachers carefully completed each step and made the "most artful" moon cakes; the Iranian teachers were the most eager to learn, and during the whole process they stood by the chef’s side to closely observe them. Despite the different methods they used, everyone had the same materials, dough, and stamps, and in the end created their own unique moon cakes.
At the end of the activity, the teachers listened to student volunteers a cappella singing “Shuidiao Getou” (水调歌头) and “Auld Lang Syne” in Chinese and English. The teachers were familiar with the melody so they hummed along with the students. “Should Old Acquaintance be forgot, and never thought upon” marked the culmination of the activity. The teachers one-by-one expressed their gratitude and said they had an unforgettable Mid-Autumn Festival at the beginning of their PKU life.
Source: PKUIFC
Translator: Anastasiia Matros
