Recently, the “I am in China” course has transformed the romance and warmth of the Mid-Autumn Festival into a tangible, perceptible, and flavorful culinary adventure. Moving beyond textbooks and connecting creativity with practice, the course titled“Mid-Autumn ‘Dining’ Memories: Savoring Mooncakes, Admiring the Moon, and Experiencing Folk Customs” has opened a doorway into the richness of Chinese culture for students from around the world.

At the same time, this immersive experience highlights how Chinese language learning can be deeply connected with culture—allowing students to not only understand words and expressions, but also the traditions, emotions, and meanings behind them.

Poetry and the Moon in Harmony

“When will the bright moon appear? Raising my cup, I ask the clear sky.”

In the Chinese classroom, the lyrical rhythm of Su Shi’s verse gently unveils the cultural essence of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Guided by the theme of the “moon,” teachers explore this universal symbol with students—one that, in Chinese culture, carries the homesickness of gazing up at the same moon, and the sense of reunion captured in the idea of “sharing the moonlight across great distances.”

“Why are mooncakes round?”

Through discussion, students come to realize that “a full moon in the sky, a mooncake in hand, and affection in the heart” symbolizes reunion. The circle becomes a tangible expression of togetherness.

In class, the storybook Chang’e Flying to the Moon brings words like “moon” and “mooncake” to life, transforming them from abstract vocabulary into cultural symbols. As one international student reflected,
“In my country, the moon belongs to myths; here, it becomes a messenger that carries our longing.”

From language to literature, from symbol to meaning—the essence of Mid-Autumn gently takes root in the students’ minds. This is the core intent of“I am in China”: to “grasp culture through small details,” helping students first understand why we celebrate, before they join in the celebration itself.

Hands-On Mooncake Making

The Life Experience Plaza has been transformed into a Mid-Autumn workshop—the start of a hands-on session. On the tables lie soft dough, fragrant fillings like five-nut and red bean paste, and molds carved with patterns of “good fortune” and “jade rabbit”—each element a vivid expression of culture.

Students transformed into “pastry chefs,” following the teacher step by step: kneading the dough clockwise until it became soft and elastic, pressing it with their thumbs to form a small “bowl” for the filling, sealing it carefully, and placing it into a mold—click—a beautifully patterned mooncake took shape.

Taking into account the different skill levels of international students, teachers provided one-on-one guidance: guiding their hands through the rhythm of kneading, demonstrating how to seal fillings when they spilled out, and using small scales to help evenly portion the dough.

As the oven heated up, golden mooncakes filled the air with a rich aroma.
“My Jade Rabbit mooncake didn’t lose its shape!” one student cheered, holding up their creation. Another carefully held their mooncake and said, “I’m going to take this back to share with my roommates—just like the teacher said, ‘reunion is meant to be shared.’”

In that moment, craftsmanship was the patience in kneading, and warmth was the heartfelt act of sharing. The spirit of the Mid-Autumn Festival quietly took root.