Calling all foodies and culture buffs! A group of over 30 young adventurers from 20+ countries recently landed in Chaoyang District in Beijing on the Chinese mainland to get hands-on with mooncake-making at a museum dedicated to traditional pastry molds. 🥮🎑
Under the guidance of a friendly museum curator, the crew explored pastry molds dating back to the Han Dynasty (around 2,000 years ago) and the Tang Dynasty (over 1,000 years ago). They were awestruck by the intricate patterns—think dragons, flowers, and lucky symbols—that tell stories of ancient artisans. 🔍✨
After soaking up the history, everyone rolled up their sleeves for a mooncake workshop. From mixing the filling (lotus seed paste anyone?) to pressing the dough into wooden molds, it was a fun crash course in festival baking. Plus, they learned how the Mid-Autumn Festival is more than just mooncakes—it's a time to celebrate reunions, share stories under the full moon, and soak in folk tales like Chang'e flying to the moon. 🌕👫
Organized by the district's publicity and culture center, this event gave young international students and expats a chance to bond over cultural exchange, swap festival traditions—imagine South Asian Diwali and Southeast Asian harvest fests—and make memories that go beyond the selfie. 📸🤝
Whether you're in KL, Mumbai, or Manila, this story is a tasty reminder of how food and festivals bring us together across borders. Who's ready to try mooncake-making next? 😉
Reference(s):
Youth group dives into mooncake-making and Mid-Autumn Festival culture
cgtn.com
