For over a thousand years, yuebing—round mooncakes filled with lotus paste, salted egg yolk, nuts, or fruits—have sat at the heart of the Mid‑Autumn Festival, one of China’s most enduring celebrations. Rooted in ancient agricultural rites of thanking heaven and worshiping the moon, the festival began when people marked the harvest and prayed for harmony between earth, family, and cosmos. As Chinese society changed, this moon‑worship ceremony gradually transformed into a festival of reunion and quiet reflection. To share a mooncake is to acknowledge the same circle in the sky, the same taste of home, and the same enduring hope that those who are apart may soon gather together again.

On the world stage, the Mid‑Autumn Festival has grown from a long‑standing family tradition into a widely recognized marker of cultural identity and community life:

• In 2006, it was included in China’s first group of national intangible cultural heritage items, affirming its deep connection to family reunion and seasonal balance.
• In 2008, it was reinstated as a public holiday in mainland China, signifying the continued relevance of traditional festivals in modern life.
• In 2021, it was recognized in multiple regional and municipal heritage protection programs, reflecting ongoing efforts to preserve its artistry, rituals, and culinary creativity.
• China’s lunar exploration program is named after Chang’e, and its lunar rover after the Jade Rabbit, drawing directly on Mid‑Autumn mythology and weaving this traditional festival into a modern national narrative of space exploration and technological progress.
• In major Chinatowns—New York, San Francisco, London, Vancouver, and Sydney—Mid‑Autumn celebrations fill streets and parks with light and music, where yuebing tastings, art exhibitions, and family gatherings welcome both locals and visitors in honoring the same full moon**.**

In this lesson, you will trace the origins and transformations of yuebing, explore the festival’s meaning across time, and discover how today’s mooncakes reflect creativity that bridges tradition and modern life. Along the way, you will read some of China’s most beloved poems—Li Bai’s Jìng Yè Sī / Thoughts on a Quiet Night and Su Shi’s* *Shuǐ Diào Gē Tóu / Song for the River Tune—to experience how poets turned moonlight into language and longing into song. Through history, art, and flavor, you will come to see the Mid‑Autumn Festival as more than a date on the calendar: it is an ever‑evolving celebration of remembrance, reunion, and the enduring brightness of human connection.