Expats experience Mid-Autumn Festival traditions in Yantai

Participants capture the moment with a group photo. [Photo provided by Jiang Shujun/for chinadaily.com.cn]

On Sept 11, Xinjia subdistrict in Longkou, Yantai, hosted a special cultural exchange event to celebrate the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. The event invited expats to experience traditional Chinese customs, including the making of mooncakes.

Ayesha from Sri Lanka participated in the mooncake-making activity. "This is my first time making mooncakes. It's not as difficult as I thought, and the whole process is really interesting. I've learned a lot about the Mid-Autumn Festival," said Ayesha.

With the help of volunteers, expats try their hands at making mooncakes. [Photo provided by Jiang Shujun/for chinadaily.com.cn]

Mooncakes are an essential part of the Mid-Autumn Festival, and making them was the highlight of this cultural exchange. Volunteers patiently demonstrated the process, pausing to explain each step in detail. Under their guidance, participants rolled out the dough, added fillings, and shaped their own mooncakes.

Gunalan, also from Sri Lanka, expressed his enthusiasm. He focused intently on each step and couldn't hide his excitement when he saw his finished product. "I'm amazed by the unique charm of Chinese traditional culture," he said. "I hope I get more opportunities to learn about and experience Chinese customs."

After a morning of hard work, the delicious mooncakes were ready to be enjoyed. Participants took photos and shared their creations with each other, filling the room with laughter and the aroma of freshly baked goods.

A representative from Xinjia subdistrict stated that the subdistrict will continue to organize more diverse cultural exchange activities, taking advantage of traditional festivals to promote Chinese culture to the world. (Edited by Yang Yingxue)