It is said that one year in ancient times, there appeared 10 suns in the sky, and every drop on the earth was melted away under such heat. As a result, the civilians couldn't make a living any more. There was a hero named 后羿(Hòu Yì) Hou Yi who was good at shooting, so he shot down the extra 9 suns and was 尊敬(zūnjìng) admired by all the civilians in the country. In order to award him, Heavenly Queen Mother gave him a pouch filled with elixir of life, and he gave it to his wife 嫦娥(Cháng É) Chang Er who was very beautiful and kind-hearted. But all of this was seen by Peng Meng, who was very 奸诈(jiānzhà) treacherous and 心术不正(xīnshùbúzhèng) harbored evil intentions. He threatened Chang Er with a sword to get the elixir of life. Under this circumstance, Chang Er ate the elixir of life 当机立断(dāngjīlìduàn) without any hesitation and flew to the moon. After hearing the news that Chang Er flew to the moon and become a fairy, all of the civilians put the incense burners under the moon to ask for the kind lady's blessing. From then on, the custom of 赏月(shǎngyuè) appreciating the moon on the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival is spreading gradually among people in the country. Now people also like to appreciate the moon and eat moon cakes in their backyard with their family members on Mid-Autumn Festival.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:    
后羿(Hòu Yì): n a hero's name    
嫦娥(Cháng É): n a fairy's name    
尊敬(zūnjìng): v to respect or admire    
奸诈(jiānzhà): adj treacherous    
心术不正(xīnshùbúzhèng): adj to harbor evil intentions    
当机立断(dāngjīlìduàn): v to decide without any hesitation; to make a prompt decision    
赏月(shǎngyuè): v to appreciate the moon    

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八月十五月儿明呀，    
Bā yuè shí wŭ yuè ér míng ya,
The moon is bright during Mid-Autumn Festival,
爷爷为我打月饼呀。    
Yéye wèi wǒ dǎ yuèbĭng ya.
Grandpa makes moon cake for me.
月饼圆圆甜又香啊，    
Yuèbĭng yuányuán tián yòu xiāng ā,
The moon cake is round and delicious,
一块月饼一片情啊。    
Yí kuài yuèbĭng yí piàn qíng ā.                  
Every piece of moon cake shows Grandpa's love for me.
爷爷是个老红军哪，    
Yéye shì gè lǎo hóngjūn na,
Grandpa is an old Red Army soldier,
爷爷待我亲又亲哪。    
Yéye dài wǒ qīn yòu qīn na.
He is nice to me.
我为爷爷唱歌谣啊，    
Wǒ wèi yéye chàng gē yáo ā,
I sing songs to him
献给爷爷一片心哪。    
Xiàn gěi yéye yí piàn xīn na.
To show my heart for him.

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The Origin of Moon Cake
Moon cake comes from the Yuan Dynasty. During that time, people would not stand the cruel domination taking place, so many people staged uprisings to fight against the Yuan Dynasty rulers. Zhu Yuanzhang, the most prominent one, united all the people to start the uprisings. Unfortunately, government soldiers checked correspondences so strictly that it was hard for him to deliver messages to his fellow rebels. Soon the leader had a good idea: to hide messages in a cake to inform his people. Finally the uprising succeeded, and Zhu Yuanzhang designated the "message cake" as the main food in the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. From then on, moon cake has always played an important role in the festival's celebrations.

Modern Style Moon Cake
Recently, the concept of moon cake has been updated to incorporate better into our lives today. Let's hear about some new styles of moon cake:

冰淇淋月饼(bīngqílín yuèbĭng) Ice Cream Moon Cake    
Ice cream moon cake is made completely of ice cream, and made to look just like moon cake. Although the festival happens in mid-autumn, the weather often stays fairly warm, so many people enjoy eating ice cream moon cake—especially kids.

保健月饼(bǎojiàn yuèbĭng) Health Food Moon Cake    
Health food moon cake is a style of cake that is meant to benefit people's health. It is made of many healthy ingredients such as ginseng, calcium, medicated food and other things that are good for health.

纳凉月饼(nàliáng yuèbĭng) Naliang Moon Cake    
This is the latest creation of moon cake. Its fillings are made with lily, green bean or tea. All of them have a cooling effect on the body.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:    
冰淇淋(bīngqílín): n ice cream    
保健(bǎojiàn): n health food; health care    
纳凉(nàliáng): v to enjoy a cool weather    

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China is a country with a large territory and population, so people in different parts of China have different ways of celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. However, some customs are the same throughout the whole country. On Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese people usually send moon cakes as gifts to their friends and relatives and then have a sumptuous dinner together called 团圆饭(tuányuánfàn) family reunion dinner, followed by watching the Mid-Autumn Festival Evening Party on TV. If the weather is nice, families may also sit outside to admire the full moon and chat about 家常(jiācháng) daily life matters. For young people, they also send 短信(duǎnxìn) text messages to their classmates and friends, so their cell phones are usually filled up with text messages.
tōucài qiúláng) is to steal vegetables to court men. A single woman will wear a new dress and go to her Mr. Right's garden to steal green Chinese onion or other vegetables under the moonlight. A successful theft heralds a happy marriage.

Greetings on Mid–Autumn Festival
1. 月亮代表我的心，月饼代表我的情，愿你幸福永健康，好运财运长伴你！中秋快乐！  
   
    Yuèliang dàibiǎo wǒ de xīn, yuèbĭng dàibiǎo wǒ de qíng, yuàn nĭ xìngfú yǒng jiànkāng, hǎoyùn cáiyùn cháng bàn     nĭ! Zhōngqiū kuàilè!
    The moon represents my heart, and these moon cakes represent my love. I wish you health and happiness     forever, good luck and wealth be with you forever! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
2. 中秋佳节到，祝福不迟到，祝您月圆，人圆，事事圆；好花，好景，好事连。    
   
    Zhōngqiū jiājié dào, zhùfú bù chídào, zhù nín yuè yuán, rén yuán, shìshì yuán; hǎohuā, hǎojĭng, hǎoshì lián.
    The Mid-Autumn Festival has come, and festival greetings follow close behind. I hope you can enjoy the full     moon, a reunion with your family, smooth sailing, good flowers, good times, and good things following you.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:    
团圆饭(tuányuánfàn): n family reunion dinner on an important festival like Mid-Autumn Festival or the Spring
                                          Festival    
家常(jiācháng): n the daily life of a family; domestic trivia    
短信(duǎnxìn): n short message; text message    
偷菜求郎(tōucài qiúláng): n to steal vegetables to court men, the custom of an ethnic group called Dong in Taiwan                                                  on Mid-Autumn Festival    

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This poem is the most famous Mid-Autumn Festival poem. The author wrote it for his brother, whom he missed dearly after not having seen him for seven years. There are two sentences in the poem that are often quoted by people now. 人有悲欢离合, 月有阴晴圆缺, 此事古难全. (Rén yǒu bēihuānlíhé, yuè yǒu yīnqíngyuánquē, cĭshì gŭ nán quán.) has a philosophical connotation. It tells people that not everything is perfect, and we should learn to endure ordeals. 但愿人长久, 千里共婵娟. (Dànyuàn rén chángjiŭ, qiānlĭ gòng chánjuān.) is a famous sentence of blessing during a time of reunion. It expresses blessings of health and relationships to others. It is one of the many poems of the Song Dynasty that has also been made into beautiful songs.

Listen to the Tune

明月几时有，把酒问青天。    
Míngyuè jĭshí yǒu, bǎjiŭ wèn qīngtiān.
How long until the full moon appears? Wine cup in hand, I ask the sky.
不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年？    
Bù zhī tiānshàng gōngquè, jīnxī shì hénián?
I do not know what time of year. It could be tonight in the palace on high.
我欲乘风归去，惟恐琼楼玉宇，高处不胜寒。    
Wǒ yù chéngfēng guīqù, wéikǒng qiónglóuyùyŭ, gāochù bú shèng hán.
Riding the wind, there I would fly, yet I'm afraid the crystalline palace would be too high and cold for me.
起舞弄清影，何似在人间！    
Qĭwŭ nòng qīngyĭng, hé sì zài rénjiān!
I rise and dance, with my shadow I play. It is like on the earth!
转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠。    
Zhuǎn zhūgé, dī qĭhù, zhào wúmián.
The moon goes round the red mansions through gauze-draped windows, soft to shed
her light upon the sleepless bed.
不应有恨，何事长向别时圆？    
Bù yīng yǒu hèn, héshì cháng xiàng bié shí yuán?
Why then when people are apart, is the moon oft full and bright?
人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。    
Rén yǒu bēihuānlíhé, yuè yǒu yīnqíngyuánquē, cĭshì gŭ nán quán.
People have sorrow and joy, they separate or meet again; the moon is bright or dim and the moon may wax or wane. There has not been anything perfect since the olden days.
但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。    
Dànyuàn rén chángjiŭ, qiānlĭ gòng chánjuān.
So let us wish that people live as long as they can! Though miles apart, we'll share the beauty they display.

生词(shēngcí) Vocabulary:    
几时(jĭshí): adv when    
把酒(bǎjiŭ): v to hold a glass of liquor    
不胜(búshèng): v cannot stand or bear    
弄(nòng): v to play and enjoy    
朱(zhū): adj red    
婵娟(chánjuān): n the beautiful things    

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