Tales of the Moonlight: A Storytelling Celebration for the Mid-Autumn Festival

By Lisa Nguyen

“It was a joyful and heartwarming gathering where students from many different places came together as one community at MCU,” said Professor Kuang-hua Liu, Executive Director of the International Education and Exchange Division (MCUIEE).

On October 2, as the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, the Office of International Student Service (OISS) organized a cozy gathering for all students in the International College (IC) program at Ming Chuan University’s Taipei campus. The event featured free mooncakes and drinks, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all IC students who joined the celebration.

The highlight of the event was a storytelling session led by Mandarin teacher Ms. Judy, who shared the legendary origins of the festival. The tale began: “Long ago, ten suns rose in the sky at once, scorching the earth, drying rivers, and withering crops. The hero Hou Yi (后羿) shot down nine of them, leaving only one to provide light. Later, he was granted an elixir of immortality. Out of love for his wife, Chang’e (嫦娥), he chose not to take it. However, in Hou Yi’s absence, Chang’e was forced to drink the potion to keep it from being stolen, and she ascended to the moon, where she became a goddess accompanied only by the Jade Rabbit (玉兔).” This story explains the traditional customs of moon gazing, worshipping the moon, and eating mooncakes during the festival.

To make the session more engaging, Ms. Cindy, a graduate of the IBT program and now a member of OISS, assisted Ms. Judy by translating into English, ensuring that all international students could follow along. Ms. Judy concluded the story by introducing several Mandarin vocabulary words, giving students a chance to learn new expressions while enjoying the tale.

A lively Q&A session followed, with students enthusiastically participating and winning exclusive MCU T-shirts as prizes.

Before closing the event, Ms. Judy shared a fun fact about Taiwan’s Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition to being known as the Mooncake Festival, it is also commonly called the Barbecue Festival. This tradition began in the 1980s, when a soy sauce company launched the slogan “Mid-Autumn BBQ, Family Reunion” (中秋烤肉，家家團圓). Since then, the image of families and friends gathering around a grill—barbecuing, sharing drinks, eating mooncakes, and admiring the full moon—has become a hallmark of the celebration.

The gathering offered students a meaningful and enjoyable experience. They not only learned more about Taiwanese culture and Mid-Autumn traditions but also expanded their Mandarin vocabulary through storytelling and interactive activities. It was a fun and educational event that combined cultural appreciation, language learning, and community bonding.

Overall, the gathering left students with new stories, practical language skills, and a lasting sense of connection with one another.