Social Media Facilitates for Users a Better Understanding of Traditional Chinese Festivals

Mid-Autumn Festival, which dates back over 3,000 years, is one of the biggest traditional festivals of the Chinese people. During this festival, people follow the customs of their ancestors, worshiping the moon goddess, admiring the full moon and osmanthus flowers, and eating moon cakes. To showcase the splendor of traditional Chinese culture to the global audience during this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival, News and Information Center (Shandong Center) of Xinhua News Agency, in association with new media centers in Shandong counties, launched a Mid-Autumn Festival special – Discover Shandong – through its social media platforms, to solicit creative videos and pictures with the hashtag #TheHometownMoon”.

No matter where you are, all people share the same full moon tonight. Twenty-eight districts and counties, including Licheng District in Jinan, Fushan District in Yantai, Lanshan District in Linyi, Hanting District in Weifang, Pingyuan County in Dezhou, Daiyue District in Tai’an, among others, posted stunning pictures of the Mid-Autumn moon on several social media platforms featuring Discover Shandong.

Global users shared the same full moon, posting their own pictures online and happily receiving festival wishes. Posts with pictures included a reunion dinner in a small Chinese farmhouse, hairy crabs — a seasonal food, and foreign visitors familiarizing themselves with Mid-Autumn folk customs. The lively festive atmosphere from the Eastern civilization sparked the attention of social media users all over the world. “Looks yummy!” a Twitter user, Henry Bassey, commented on a post depicting the Mid-Autumn dinner of a Yantai family. “Amazing!” and “Beautiful picture!” Facebook users commented on a post with hashtag #TheHometownMoon from Daiyue District in Tai’an City.

As of September 15, posts with hashtag #TheHometownMoon hit 1.9 million views, with 32,500 likes, retweets and comments.

Source: News and Information Center (Shandong Center), Xinhua News Agency