They did not remember the names of the characters, but were able to retell the essence of the story.Referred to in China as zhongqiujie (中秋节), the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the largest festivals in Mainland China and East Asia. My Chinese friends love telling stories like these (and there are a few for various holidays!). On the anniversary of his wife becoming a fairy, they too offered cake and celebrated the moon. The story captured the hearts of his fellow villagers, and soon spread all over China. Reassured, he offered the moon her favourite cakes to say thank you. He was devastated that his wife had left him, but soon realised she was watching over him from the moon. Upon returning to his home, the husband found out what had happened. To watch over him every night, she lived in the moon. She flew into the sky, but she was heartbroken at having to leave her husband. After drinking the potion the wife became an immortal fairy, like the one who gave the gift. Scared, the wife swallowed the elixir so the evil thief would not get it. Once he’d left he approached the wife and demanded the elixir. He waited patiently until the husband left to go hunting one mid-autumn afternoon. Likewise, his wife did not want the elixir as she did not want to leave her husband.Ī man was watching near by and saw the elixir. Not wanting to separate from his wife, he gave it to her to keep. This gift was the elixir of immortal life. He shot down 9 suns and left one in the sky to look after the earth and provide warmth.Ī watching immortal fairy was impressed by his actions and went down to earth from the stars to present him with a gift. He was so good that when ten suns appeared in the sky, causing destruction to the world, the people turned to him and asked for his help in shooting them down. The husband was great at providing food for his wife by hunting. Many thousands of years ago, there lived a young married couple who were deeply in love. Here in this post I will tell you that story as it was told to me by Chinese friends. Whilst this festival is associated with the harvest season, in China at least, there is a story behind it. Mid-Autumn Festival by Zhang Tianyi can be found in The Columbia Anthology of Modern Chinese Literature, published by Columbia University Press. This short story is a must read for those interested in the political and social conflict of 1920s and ’30s China. All of the narrative techniques combined create a politically driven short story which reflects the political leanings of the author and the need for social change, a change which occurred not long after in China. For example, the expletives which litter Kui’s dialogue which contrast with his high social status. Through Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhang mocks society through juxtapositions of society’s social structures and their behaviour. Zhang makes it clear that the character is clearly restricted by the then rigid structures of Chinese society – to honour family and those above him. Whilst the character of Third Uncle is portrayed with grace, patiently withstanding Kui’s cruel remarks for being a peasant, he is also portrayed as a coward – unable to stand up for himself or fellow peasants who come to pay their landlord respects during the festival. As Kui mocks the lower classes, Zhang mocks Kui through the narrative, like the physical description of Kui’s appearance being compared to an upright, dwarfish jar. Due to their entertaining nature, the audience neither agrees or disagrees with the character’s views, instead appreciate Zhang’s mocking of Chinese society. Kui Daye is a cruel landlord who constantly rants about the lower classes and his tenants through intentionally funny dialogue. Only the character of the Third Uncle is represented with gentility. All of this highlights the social injustices which littered Chinese society at the time. The characters are caricatures: extremely exaggerated, along with the plot, narrative and descriptions with funny results. The rants and ravings of Kui Daye turn this celebratory meal into a cruel, yet humorous, event. The story centres around a family meal during the traditional mid-autumn festival, where protagonist Kui Daye interrogates characters and society who are of a lower social class to himself – including his relative, Third Uncle.
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