The Mid-Autumn Festival has all interesting history. Long ago in one of the dynasties of China there was a king who was very cruel to the people and did not manage the country well. The people were so angry that some brave ones suggested killing the king. So they wrote notes telling about the meeting place and time and put them into cakes. On the 15th day of the 8th lunar month every person was told to buy the cakes. When they ate them they discovered the notes. So they gathered together to make a sudden attack on the king. From then on the Chinese people celebrate on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month and eat moon cakes in memory of that important event.

It is believed that the moon is at her brightest on this night. Many poems have been written about it, and poets are never tired of reading and writing such poems. In Chinese literature, the moon of the Mid Autumn Festival has been compared to a looking-glass, a jade rabbit, and so on. It seems that Chinese literature takes far more interest in the moon than in the sun.

Chinese people are used to being together at this day. But this year, because I was in America, I couldn’t celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with my family. I just told my mom  that I missed her by a video phone and ate a moon cake which Han’s brother bought for him in New York Chinatown. It was really expensive and unpalatable , twenty American dollars for one piece of moon cake. You only  need one American dollar to buy it in China. I feel  I am really miserable when I think I am not able to go back to China for spending the Spring Festival.

Where we went on last Friday is the Cherry Hill Orchards, which is a big farm. The first thing which we were going to do that Christin let us had our own pumpkin to curve. However we three guys did not desire to have one, because pumpkins were too big and heavy. Besides, curving a pumpkin is a little boring for us. In contract, Mingqi and Linda were quite curious about it. They picked two very big pumpkins. I do not think that they are able to move it to their rooms and have patience to curve.、

Pumpkin field

Two really big

These falling apples made me was puzzled. I wonder know why farmers did not pick them up. Is not it thriftless?

After we finished the farm trip, we went to the agricultural store. There were huge range of choosing. Like kinds of pies, cakes, juice, vegetables, flowers… They are all made of fresh vegetables or fruits which have just been removed from the fields.

Christin told me that this plant is gourd. It made me crazy. I thought that it looks like a kind of skin disease. I wanted to punch it.

Finally, Christin bought one bottle of apple cinder for us. We enjoyed it. I thought that American apple cinder is not as acid as Chinese apple cinder. It was very delicious. Thank Christin for her apple cinder and the wonderful journey which she brought to us.

Lantern Festival is a traditional festival in China, which began in the Western Han Dynasty more than 2000 years ago. According to legend, the Han Emperor to celebrate the victory of an important battle. On this evening of every year, he will be out of the palace to play, have fun with the citizens.

Chinese people have many celebrations, different places have different customs. But the essential thing is to eat dumplings and watch the Lantern show. Some local people will go out to celebrate, lantern riddles, fireworks, acrobatics and other held.

This is dumpling which called “Yuan Xiao” or “Tang Yuan”. People in the north of China call it “Tang Yuan”. People in the south of China call it “Yuan Xiao”.  “Tang Yuan” is a dessert made of glutinous rice and stuffing. The traditional stuffing is black sesame, which tastes very delicious and fragrant. However southerners like to make “Yuan Xiao” with meat as fillings.

We’ll have lamps like this. People usually bring their old people and their children together to watch it at night. The lights are various in shape, some of the traditional Chinese things, like dragons, carp, lotus, boats…

Last Friday, the teachers of ELT organized us to take a bus to the supermarket which is five kilometers away from campus. We had six people, Christin(teacher), Mingqi, Linda, Han, Jiwen and me. The main purpose of this trip is to teach us how to take the bus in Millersville University. We leaved at nine twenty in the morning. She gave each of us a bus schedule before we started off. We waited about five minutes, the bus arrived. Soon we arrived at our destination after fifteen minutes.

Firstly, Christin gave us a questionnaire which is about the stores, like how many brand of Swiss cheese is in this supermarket, what is the strangest commodity you feel, what is the difference between this supermarket and Chinese supermarket… We searched every items in the stores. I found the two most strangest things are pork skins and hair skin nails cmplx. Actually, we never seem pork skins as a snack. Besides, I have never seen this medicine in China. Christin explain that it can help people’s skin, hair and nails look better.

When I finished my questionnaire, it was 11:30 a.m. already, because there were too many questions. I found a rice cooker when I explored the supermarket. I really want to buy one because I miss Chinese rice so much. But the salesclerk told me that they just have only one rice cooker, they are unable to sell it to me. In addition, a old woman who is in front of me bought lot of things. So I had to wait her for a long time to check out. In the end, I missed the bus and involved Christin. I felt so sorry for her.