The Second “Single Mountain and Beautiful Moon” Cultural Experience Week in 2008: Ancient Poems in Modern Forms Show Rich Culture

Single Mountain and Beautiful Moon [Photo by Wang Ran]

On September 22nd, before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Longwan International Camping Park in Yanqing District witnessed the opening ceremony of the second “Single Mountain and Beautiful Moon” Cultural Experience Week in 2018. This year, the theme is “watching the moon by the single mountain and expecting the reunion of the whole family”. In the next two weeks, tourists can live in inns, enjoy great cuisines, watch the moon and stars, reunite with the family and enjoy a feast of culture.

The “Single Mountain and Beautiful Moon” is the most famous and interesting among the eight great sights in Guichuan County, Yanqing District, dating back to the Period of the Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties. On the Mid-Autumn Day, the night is silent and the moon becomes ever fuller by the single mountain, symbolizing a happy reunion. The cultural experience week started with the “Single Mountain and Beautiful Moon” High-Level Music and Culture Event. Joining the event were Fang Jinlong, the famous pipa performer, Song Fei, the erhu performer and Bateer, the fourth generation of female impersonator learning from Mei Lanfang and other prominent performers. They chanted ancient poems relevant to the theme in modern forms. Live music shows included chapters like “The Bright Moon in Guichuan”, “The Golden Bull in Jinshan” and “The Single Mountain and the Beautiful Moon” told history, culture and folk tales relevant to the theme and offered a feast of Mid-Autumn culture to the citizens and tourists.

The event was followed by the “Single Mountain and Beautiful Moon” Mid-Autumn Cultural Salon. During the activity, folk custom experts explained traditional folk customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival and famous calligraphers and painters created a great many pieces of works relevant to the theme and held discussions with the tourists.

Apart from the event and the cultural salon, the cultural experience week also includes the cultural works collecting and moon-watching themed activities.