Chinese President Xi Jinping Highlights Unity and Cultural Inheritance at Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration
Chinese President Xi Jinping recently underscored the significance of unity in cultural inheritance and development at a meeting held in Beijing on June 2, 2023. President Xi emphasized the crucial role of understanding China’s long and continuous history in promoting the transformation and development of traditional Chinese culture. He highlighted the unity of various ethnic cultures within the Chinese nation as a key factor in fostering a strong and unified country.
The occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated by the Chinese people with great enthusiasm, provides an opportunity to strengthen the bonds of unity. President Xi has been actively participating in the festivities over the past decade, emphasizing the importance of family reunions and cultural heritage.
In 2015, President Xi attended a reception organized by overseas Chinese in Seattle, United States, during the Mid-Autumn Festival. He conveyed his feelings of missing home and loved ones during this reunion time and brought mooncakes to share with the local Chinese community, symbolizing goodwill and friendship.
The following year, President Xi and First Lady Peng Liyuan celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival with overseas Chinese representatives from the eastern United States at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The couple actively joined the celebrations, further demonstrating their commitment to preserving and promoting Chinese cultural traditions.
Family banquets are a significant aspect of the Mid-Autumn Festival, reflecting its focus on family values and the spirit of reunion. President Xi acknowledged the importance of these gatherings during his visit to a community in Shenyang, Liaoning Province in 2013. He praised the tradition of the Hundred Family Banquet, which brings people together and strengthens community bonds.
The Mid-Autumn Festival serves as a platform for cultural inheritance, allowing people to gain insights into traditional Chinese culture and pass down its virtues. Its emphasis on family values, unity, and reverence for the moon plays a crucial role in preserving the essence of Chinese culture.
To promote cultural heritage, various regions in China organize a range of activities during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Traditional customs such as moon-gazing, mooncake-eating, lantern lighting, and riddle-solving continue to be cherished and celebrated. These activities not only preserve cultural traditions but also contribute to the thriving cultural and tourism markets in China.
President Xi Jinping believes that cultural prosperity and the construction of a modern Chinese civilization are essential missions of the new era. With changing times, the celebration of traditional festivals like the Mid-Autumn Festival has become more diverse and modern. Initiatives such as opening the historic observatory in Beijing at night to observe the full moon up close and organizing Mid-Autumn carnivals in tourist cities like Xiamen and Hangzhou contribute to the preservation and development of Chinese culture.
President Xi’s emphasis on unity and cultural inheritance during the Mid-Autumn Festival reflects his commitment to preserving Chinese traditions and fostering a culturally strong nation. By celebrating this festival alongside overseas Chinese communities, he reinforces the bonds that connect the Chinese people, both at home and abroad.
