"Zhong Qiu Jie",which is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is celebrated on the 15th dayof the 8th month of the lunar calendar. It is a time for family members andloved ones to congregate and enjoy the full moon - an auspicious symbol ofabundance, harmony and luck. Adults will usually indulge in fragrant mooncakesof many varieties with a good cup of piping hot Chinese tea, while the littleones run around with their brightly-lit lanterns.
農歷八月十五日是中國的傳統節日——中秋節。在這天，每個家庭都團聚在一起，一家人共同觀賞象征豐裕、和諧和幸運的圓月。此時，大人們吃著美味的月餅，品著熱騰騰的香茗，而孩子們則在一旁拉著兔子燈盡情玩耍。
"Zhong QiuJie" probably began as a harvest festival. The festival was later given amythological flavour with legends of Chang-E, the beautiful lady in the moon.
中秋節最早可能是一個慶祝豐收的節日。后來，月宮里美麗的仙女嫦娥的神話故事賦予了它神話色彩。
According to Chinesemythology, the earth once had 10 suns circling over it. One day, all 10 sunsappeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was savedwhen a strong archer, Hou Yi, succeeded in shooting down 9 of the suns. Yistole the elixir of life to save the people from his tyrannical rule, but hiswife, Chang-E drank it. Thus started the legend of the lady in the moon to whomyoung Chinese girls would pray at the Mid-Autumn Festival.
傳說古時候，天空曾有10個太陽。一天，這10個太陽同時出現，酷熱難擋。弓箭手后翌射下了其中9個太陽，拯救了地球上的生靈。他偷了長生不死藥，卻被妻子嫦娥偷偷喝下。此后，每年中秋月圓之時，少女們都要向月宮仙女嫦娥祈福的傳說便流傳開來。
In the 14th century, theeating of mooncakes at "Zhong Qiu Jie" was given a new significance.The story goes that when Zhu Yuan Zhang was plotting to overthrow the YuanDynasty started by the Mongolians, the rebels hid their messages in the Mid-Autumnmooncakes. Zhong Qiu Jie is hence also a commemoration of the overthrow of theMongolians by the Han people.
在14世紀，中秋節吃月餅又被賦予了一層特殊的含義。傳說在朱元璋帶兵起義推翻元朝時，將士們曾把聯絡信藏在月餅里。因此，中秋節后來也成為漢人推翻蒙古人統治的紀念日。字串7
During the Yuan Dynasty(A.D.1206-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from thepreceding Sung Dynasty (A.D.960-1279) were unhappy at submitting to foreignrule, and set how to coordinate the rebellion without it being discovered. Theleaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near,ordered the making of special cakes. Packed into each mooncake was a messagewith the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebelssuccessfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was theestablishment of the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). Today, moon cakes are eatento commemorate this event.
在元朝，蒙古人統治中國。前朝統治者們不甘心政權落入外族之手，于是密謀策劃聯合起義。正值中秋將近，起義首領就命令部下制作一種特別的月餅，把起義計劃藏在每個月餅里。到中秋那天，起義軍獲取勝利，推翻了元朝，建立明朝。今天，人們吃月餅紀念此事。
Mid-Autumn Day 中秋節
Mid-AutumnDay is a traditional festival in China. Almost everyone likes to eat mooncakeson that day. Most families have a dinner together to celebrate the festival. Asaying goes, "The moon in your hometown is almost always the brightest androundest". Many people who live far away from homes want to go back tohave a family reunion. How happy it is to enjoy the moon cakes while watchingthe full moon with your family members.