Gaze at he "lady in the moon" at Chinatown festival 

By Susan Fong 

Come to Chinatown Square to gaze at "the lady in the Moon" during Chinese Moon Festival 2007 on Saturday, Sept. 22, between 3 and 11 p.m. Event organizers this year are the Young China Club and the Chinese Cultural Center.

Better known in Asia as the Mid-Autumn Festival, this holiday is the second most important after the Chinese Lunar New Year. Customarily celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month, the festival, like American Thanksgiving, ends the annual harvest season.  It also is considered a day of reunion.

Many moon myths exist about the archer Houyi and his wife Chang’e. Most relate how Houyi was given the elixir of life and how his wife took the potion and ascended to the Moon. The archer is said to gaze longingly at his lost love living in the Moon as he wishes for their reunion.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce originally organized this celebration in Chicago. Pak C. Leung, who founded the Chinese Cultural Center (CCC) 17 years ago, took over the festival in 2000, when the Chamber dropped it from its agenda.

“It was too important of a Chinese event not to be continued,” Leung explained.

Leung’s organization trains traditional dancers and martial artists from the community using props that include 30 lion heads, two dragonheads, and six drums.

CCC ran the event between 2000 and 2004; in 2005, the Young China Club (YCC) joined Leung in putting on the festival.

Contractor and YCC founder See Y. Wong, president and CEO of Wabash Properties, brought in his resources after traveling more frequently to China for business. Through his travels, Wong realized the importance of retaining a sense of one’s culture and history.

Maintaining traditions for the young Chinese in the community is a great part of building a strong foundation for the future, Wong explained. He founded YCC in 2004 to help build entrepreneurial presence among younger community business leaders and assist them as a mentor.

The Chinese Moon Festival’s offerings include several lion dances, martial artists, traditional Chinese opera, a lantern show, and a fashion show with apparel representing several Chinese dynasties. 

“We selected costumes that were dissimilar so that the audience would get a distinct feel of the dynastic changes,” said owner Jasmine Lee of Angel Wedding Studio, which will provide period costumes for its employees during the event.

The program also will feature performances from other Asian groups, such as Japanese taiko drummers.

“To heighten the fun, we have added a Chinese American Idol competition,” YCC secretary Sharon Wong said.

A first for Chicago audiences, this competition will showcase Chicago’s undiscovered Asian American entertainment talent. The public will receive scorecards to participate in the judging as on American Idol.

Ubiquitous festival fare for the event includes mooncakes and pomeloes, the Chinese grapefruit. Both can be obtained from local shops throughout Chinatown.

Mooncakes became associated with the festival during the Yuan Dynasty, when the Mongolians ruled the Han people between 1280 and 1368. The Chinese resented being ruled by this foreign regime, and in the 14th century Liu Bouwen aided rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang to plot the overthrow the Yuan Dynasty by organizing a resistance movement. Secret messages were baked into mooncakes and passed to allies.

The mooncakes, as a result, are more than a culinary tradition because they carry an important historical meaning for Mid-Autumn celebrants.

The cakes consist of flaky pastry filled with a paste and an egg yolk to represent the moon. Most are molded with characters for longevity or harmony inscribed on the top. Special cakes can reach almost one foot in diameter. 

The Chinese once used the peeled skins of the pomeloes to make a simple lamp, Leung explained. After the pomelo is eaten, a candle can be placed into its heavy skin and used for a lantern. 

            The festival will conclude in the evening as the audience and community carry their lanterns and gaze up at the moon.

            Local business owner Jasmine Lee said, “The wonderful thing about this event is that this is a consolidation of efforts of many people. And as my father once said, we can achieve more together.”

            For more details regarding the Chinese Moon Festival, call Sharon Wong of the YCC at (312) 823-2917 or go to www.youngchinaclub.org.