Young people experience Chinese culture at Mid-Autumn Festival

 

14 international young leaders from 11 countries gathered togehter, had dialogue with Chinese folk artists, discussed traditional Chinese culture and customs, and engaged in lunar-related cultural exchange to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival at the GYLD Mid-Autumn Meetup.

 

 

In addition to eating moon cakes, Beijing’s Mid-Autumn Festival also has many colorful customs, such as worshipping the Tu’erye. In Qianmen, the inheritors of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) introduced the Tu’erye and Beijing’s Mid-Autumn Festival culture to the international young professionals. The young people learned to make clay sculptures of the Chinese zodiac, had dialogue with the inheritors of ICH, and learned about Mid-Autumn Festival culture and customs and the stories behind them.

 

 

After that, the international young professionals enjoyed the Peking Opera excerpts from “The Drunken Concubine” and “Ode to the Pear Blossoms” in the Tianleyuan Theater, dressed in costumes, learned singing, and communicated with performing artists to appreciate the charm of Peking Opera.

 

 

In a courtyard in Qianmen, the international young professionals experienced making mooncakes, followed the mooncake teacher to make original, matcha, chocolate flavors, bean paste, egg yolk filling moon cakes, and also enjoyed a Beijing-style dinner. Chinese folk artists introduced the cultural customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival to the young people.

 

 

In the Mid-Autumn sharing session, the international young professionals shared with each other about the cultural connotations and understandings of the bright moon in different countries and different cultures. Mabel Miao, Founder of Global Young Leaders Dialogue (GYLD) and Secretary-General of Center for China and Globalization (CCG), shared with the international young professionals, “The moon represents different meanings in China and the West. Chinese give the moon a special cultural concept, reflecting to the views of universe of Chinese people.”

 

At the end of the event, under a bright moon, the international young leaders wrote greeting postcards to their relatives and friends overseas, and took a selfie together, looking forward to the next gathering.

 

Jointly initiated by the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies (ACCWS), the Global Young Leaders Dialogue (GYLD) program is a unique communication, education, and professional development platform for young achievers with diverse regional, cultural, disciplinary, sectorial, and professional backgrounds across the globe. GYLD builds on the world’ s global young leaders’ programs and emphasizes shared values such as open and equal dialogue, intellectual exchange, inclusive and mutual learning.