Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, especially folk activities, have added to festive vibes in many parts of China, while boosting local tourism.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar, is a festival in honor of the moon and harvest, as well as an occasion for family and friend reunions to eat mooncakes and appreciate the moon. The festival will fall on Sept 17 this year, bringing a three-day holiday from Sunday to Tuesday.
A traditional rock-dragging event was held at Shajiang Village in Xiapu County of Ningde City, east China's Fujian Province, to welcome the festival. Teams of villagers dragged rocks on street with cheers of spectators.
The event, with a history of over 400 years, is a intangible cultural heritage in Ningde to remember Qi Jiguang, a Chinese hero who led his soldiers and local people to drag rocks on streets on the Mid-Autumn Festival night in 1562 to scare away Japanese pirates.
The Hukou Waterfall in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, wowing tourists with a spectacular golden scenery, witnessed a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration on Sunday.
A huge mooncake-shaped decoration, with a diameter of seven meters, was put beside the waterfall, where tourists could get mooncakes to eat while enjoying wonderful performance.
People at Houwan Village in Nanchang County of east China's Jiangxi Province made local lotus leaf base mooncakes together. They stuffed the mooncakes with various ingredients, fried them into yellow ones, and eat the mooncakes while holding them on lotus leaf bases.
"Our mooncakes are stuffed with many ingredients, including nuts and preserved citrus. We wrapped them with puff pastry, shape them round and fry them into yellow ones. They taste fragrant, crispy and sweet. The lotus leaf base means harmony and reunion," said Wan Deren, president of the Houwan Village council.
In Jinzhou City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, dazzling lights have lit up the Ancient Pagoda Park at night to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, where a fair is captivating tourists with Chinese chic. People can also enjoy themselves at a night market near the park.
Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations add to festivity, boost tourism across China
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a non-binding resolution on Wednesday demanding an end to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory within the next 12 months by an overwhelming margin.
The resolution was adopted with 124 votes in favor, 14 against and 43 abstentions, during the UNGA's 10th emergency special session considering Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The resolution demanding that Israel comply with all its legal obligations under international law, including advisory opinions by the International Court of Justice, was introduced by the State of Palestine on Tuesday and was co-sponsored by more than two dozen nations.
By the newly adopted resolution, the UNGA "demands that Israel brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which constitutes a wrongful act of a continuing character entailing its international responsibility and do so no later than 12 months from the adoption of the present resolution."
The UNGA also demands that Israel comply without delay with all its legal obligations under international law, including as stipulated by the International Court of Justice.
In remarks before the vote, Mohamed Issa Abushahab, the permanent representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, said the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza must be addressed through unimpeded access to those in need, a ceasefire deal and the full implementation of all related Security Council resolutions.
A credible peace process must be relaunched to work towards a two-State solution to diffuse this conflict, he said, expressing support for the State of Palestine's full statehood and UN membership. "The time has come to end the suffering," he noted.
Introducing the draft resolution on Tuesday, Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, called for the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
He said the Palestinian people have been steadfast in the pursuit of their inalienable rights, just like all other citizens worldwide who seek self-determination.
"The Palestinians want to live, not survive -- they want to be safe in their homes, they want their children to go to school without fear. They want to be free in reality as they are in spirit," said Mansour.
UNGA calls for end to Israeli occupation in Palestine within a year
UNGA calls for end to Israeli occupation in Palestine within a year
