| Cherises China Diary: China Day & Mid Autumn Festival |
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9 October 2001 September 30th, 6pm : China Day 2001 in Beijing. On the eve of both the 52nd anniversary of the People's Republic of China and the first day of the Mid-Autumn festivities, I follow pedestrian traffic from the west along Xichang'an Jie toward the heart of Beijing in Tian'anmen Square. Just around the corner from the giant mooncake exhibited under glass at the busy shopping area of Xidan, street vendors line the pavement with their boxes of ready-to-eat corn-on-the-cob, while female melon pedlars advertise the price of their cantaloupe-slice-on-a-stick with the birdcall "liangkuailiangkuailiangkuai..." For half the price, just a little further down the road, you have a choice of flags: the patriotic red with yellow stars and sickle, or the progressionist white with olympic rings of Beijing 2008. The avenues of the city are long, straight and wide, offering stunning views of the sky above the flat urban landscape and cardinal horizon points in perspective. Yet I am still impressed every time by the grandeur of the giant square named after the Gate of Heavenly Peace separating it from the Forbidden City to the north. It is a warm night, and just after sunset Tian'anmen is already full of people eagerly awaiting the evening ceremony. Some even plan to camp overnight in order to have a front-row view of the ceremonial raising of the flag the next morning at sunrise which will open the official celebrations. Surprisingly however the atmosphere remains calm, given the density of the crowd and the importance of the events to follow. The national guards are stiffly lined up all along the west side, while those who move do so with exaggerated gestures and salutes. Between Mao's eternally smug-faced portrait at the north end of the Square and the specially erected wall framing a portrait of Zhou Enlai directly opposite, the open space is decorated with bright red and yellow flowerbeds, floral wire sculptures on the sides, and dancing pastel-lit fountains in the middle, all of which seem to be picture perfect backgrounds for the family or friends snapshot. Everywhere I turn I find myself in the line of fire of someone's camera, most often Chinese families observing the tradition of national pride to pose with waving flags in hand before one of Tian'anmen's commemorative landmarks. In less than an hour I am asked several times to take a photo of a family or a couple, and at least once step into firing range and spoil someone's composition. Nonetheless, the mood is appreciably mellow, so I choose to head home while the night is still young and leave the rest of tonight's programme to the evening news.
National Day celebrations around China
October 1st, 6.30am: A Family Mid-Autumn Celebration I escape from the capital with a couple of Chinese friends who have invited me to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with their family in Miyun to the northeast of Beijing. After a hot breakfast of steamed jaozi and two hours on the road, we finally pass the Miyun reservoir and penetrate the mountains into the valleys of pure spring water and clean air. We are greeted at the house with homegrown corn on the cob, raw chestnuts, peanuts, and sour dates. It is a beautiful day, and we take a drive down the river, stopping along the way at a mountain-dwelling neighbour's to buy a bagful of those chestnuts for which China is so famous, this time freshly roasted, and finally settle on a sandy beach surrounded by mountains to relax by the water, drink a special blend of tea, and nibble on fruits and nuts. Once back home we are ready to prepare the evening meal and begin by washing the vegetables, cucumber, cabbage, and green beans, from the garden. Just before sunset the father, a geologist and professional tour guide for Miyun, leads the way through the valley to the spirit spring to fetch our domestic mineral water. When we return to the house the vegetables and rice noodles are simmering in a giant iron pot over an open fire in the courtyard, so we help ourselves to the stew, while munching on skewers of barbecued sausage and corncakes. After dinner and watching the National Day events around Beijing and China on TV, we take out our own festive artillery and light a noisy display of firecrackers and fireworks on the street, along with hand-held whips which crackle and pop white sparks on the ground. But above and beyond the moon is indeed full, reminding us of the fine rich cakes we have yet to eat inside, with a gourmet variety of paste fillings: cantonese lotus seed (my favourite), traditional red bean, green bean, northern five nuts... Around midnight a few of us make our way by moonlight to another traditional Chinese wooden house down the road to sleep. This one has no toilet, no running water and no electricity, but has just been cleaned and is comfortably insulated all night. In the morning the full moon is replaced by the bright sun, and I step outside to a country landscape of cornfields, chestnut husks, vegetable patches, and as always, a range of immovable mountains stretching across the horizon in a horizontal scroll. All that is missing is the calligraphy to describe it. Happy autumn harvest!
Speaking of mooncakes, try out our recipe here! |
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