China has been celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the country's most important traditional celebrations, with family reunions, cultural activities and delectable mooncakes, a traditional pastry that is synonymous with the harvest season.
The festival is celebrated annually on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar, which fell on Sept. 17 this year.
In east China's Jiangxi and Fujian provinces, families, friends and neighbors gathered to make mooncakes and enjoy the holidays together.
Traditional folk customs displays and martial arts performances livened up the ancient culture street of Tianjin Municipality while in Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden, lanterns in the shape of the moon lit up the night sky.
The innovative use of modern technology has been a hallmark of this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, creating new and exciting experiences for holiday makers.
In central China's Jingzhou City in Hubei Province, a nighttime drone show brought to life fabled figures from Chinese mythology, such as the Moon Goddess Chang’e and her pet Jade Rabbit. A parachute display in Zhangjiajie City in Hunan Province was another new experience for many spectators out celebrating the holiday.
In southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, a mid-autumn garden party drew locals who came to enjoy a wide range of folk culture activities, including lantern making, solving riddles, and playing pitch-pot, a traditional game where players throw arrows or sticks into a container.
"Three different generations of our family are celebrating the festival together today. The party has fun activities like solving riddles and dance performances. The festive atmosphere here is wonderful, and we all had a great time," said Feng Tianbao, a Chongqing resident enjoying the garden party.
In Anhui's Shexian County in east China, locals marked the festival with boat races between fishermen, while in Zhejiang's Hangzhou, people gathered by the Qiantang River to watch the spectacular tidal bore, renowned for its height and speed.
Exploring natural landscapes, including the lush forests in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, the vast desert in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and the stunning Tianchi Lake in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, was another popular way to celebrate the holiday.
Chinese soldiers at military facilities across the country joined in the celebrations, attending festive markets and enjoying mooncake-making sessions in several locations, while also taking the opportunity to communicate with loved ones back at home.
China celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival with family reunions, cultural pursuits
Macao has been emerging as a global hub for conventions and exhibitions in recent years by exploring the enormous opportunities in the sector, driving the region to advance its economic diversification and embrace a brighter future.
Macao has received many awards this year, such as the Best Convention City (Asia) and the Best BT-MICE City, showcasing the recognition for and influence of Macao's exhibition industry.
More than 1,000 electronic game enthusiasts from all over the world gathered recently in Macao to participate in a esports themed event.
Su Zhili, organizer of the event, said that Macao's rich experience in hosting large-scale events, coupled with its good infrastructure, has driven him to choose the region as an ideal destination to hold such an activity.
"Macao has held many similar large-scale events. It has rich experience, and the facilities at the venue are relatively mature, so we can start our work comfortably," said Su.
During the first three quarters of 2024, Macao held more than 1,000 conferences and exhibitions in total.
"We will invite more professional, special conferences to be held in Macao and also cultivate more exhibition brands with international influence in Macao, so as to promote Macao's exhibitions to be more market-oriented, professional, international, digital and greener from various aspects. This is our goal," said Elaine Wong, member of the Macao Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute.
In addition, multiple large exhibitions and conferences, such as the Macao International Trade and Investment fair, the Macao Franchise Expo, and the International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum, are held regularly in Macao.
With the introduction of a series of policies and measures to facilitate the exchanges between the mainland and Macao, as well as the construction and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Macao's convention and exhibition industry will embrace more opportunities for development in the foreseeable future.
"We have such a good industrial base in the Greater Bay Area. The mode of 'Convention and Exhibition + Industry' not only integrates the industries of Macao, but also the industries of the Greater Bay Area. In addition, Macao actively integrates into the national development and plays a role in the Belt and Road. Why are we so confident in Macao's convention and exhibition sector? Because it is backed by the motherland, and the country gives Macao great support," said Alan Ho, chairman of the Macao Association of Convention, Exhibition and Tourism Sectors.
Macao emerges as global hub for conventions and exhibitions, driving economic diversification and international recognition
