Hello My Dear Great Ones,
Mid Autumn Festival is not really in mid Autumn. Didn't it just start like 10 days ago? However, it is a pretty big deal here and is Hong Kong's and other Asian countries version of Thanksgiving. However the moon is more involved in the celebration. More on that later. Interesting enough Mid Autumn Festival was on October 1 this year which coincides with the 71st anniversary of the establishment of the People's Republic of China.
"People's Republic?" Yeah China has 1.3 billion people. Hong Kong, population 7.5 million is bordered by a city Shenzhen which has 15 million people. That city in turn is bordered by another city of 15 million people called Guangzhou. They are in a province called Guangdong which is @118, 000 sq km. Alberta is 661, 000 sq km. Population of Guangdong= 113, 000 MILLION people. Alberta = 4.3 million. China has people!
Anyway, there is much to be impressed with concerning China. They have emerged from being a poor third world country to a global powerhouse and have brought 850 million of their citizens out of extreme poverty. Yet, most Hong Kongers, instead of celebrating China's achievements as a country celebrated Mid Autumn Festival. Very few citizens had flags out. Mid autumn festival lanterns? Yes.
I have had many local Hong Kongers come up to me over the years here and apologise for their government. They love the city of HK and the country of China, but can't stand the government. The government has done many good things, but their historical and ongoing poor treatment of those who express justifiable concerns or are not "Chinese" enough is horrendous. Unacceptable for a PEOPLE's republic!
My hope and prayer is that the People in China never give up their love for their country and traditions like mid autumn festival. In a way celebrating that over national day is a form of protest. It is peaceful, it is healthy, it brings people together, it is what gives a People an identity. Again, a government that will hurt its own people in the name of national security is one most are not proud of and don't want to identify with. So here is a little clip about the mid Autumn moon festival:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpVd822yr7M&ab_channel=SouthChinaMorningPost
The following pictures were taken by a colleague's brother. A beautiful inspiring full moon over Hong Kong on October 1, 2020.
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