Berlin, Germany (Weltexpress). The Chinese Cultural Centre Berlin hosted a “Gala Evening with a Reception to Celebrate the Moon Festival” at the Chinese Cultural Centre Berlin. Many invited guests attended. It was a full house for the Moon Festival, also written as Zhongqiujie, which is also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Every year, on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, this day – or rather, the night when the moon is full and therefore round – is celebrated.
In Berlin, a city of immigrants where, although no Gregorian chants are heard, the Gregorian calendar is used, celebrations took place on Friday evening, 25 September 2026, from 6 pm until late into the night. Artists from the People’s Republic of China travelled to the city to mark the occasion. These were top-class performers from Hubai Province. Province? Well, in this province in central China, where more Han people live than there are Germans in the Federal Republic of Germany, there are one or two cities with populations in the millions. The capital is Wuhan on the great Yangtze River – the Yangtze for short. The River Spree is a mere trickle compared to this mighty river. And Berlin is nothing compared to Wuhan. In the administrative area of Wuhan alone, over 12 million people live, 8 million of them in the city centre.
The artists mainly performed traditional songs and dances from their homeland. Some of the performances were even athletic, at times funny, and occasionally melancholic. Just like the Moon Festival!
The programme
1. ‘Phoenix Song over Chu’ (opening dance)
2. ‘Song of Happiness’ & ‘The Crescent Moon’ (solo singing)
3. ‘Autumn Tale’ (pas de deux)
4. ‘Colourful Clouds Chasing the Moon’ & ‘Daydream’ (singing saw (solo))
5. ‘Applying Make-up’ (excerpt from the Chu Opera)
6. ‘The Rhythm of Ink’ (solo dance)
7. ‘Comical Anecdotes’ (clapper performance)
8. ‘Six Sips of Tea’ (gourd flute (solo))
9. ‘A Moonlit Moment to Remember’ (dance)
10. ‘Dan Yuan Ren Chang Jiu’ (May people always …) & “Ode to Joy” (poetry recital and singing)
The event began with two or three entertaining speeches, which were also translated into German. The artists’ performances were also presented and introduced in both languages.
Afterwards, guests were treated to Chinese dishes and international drinks. The mooncakes certainly went like hot cakes.
