Chongqing — Streets across China glowed Monday night as families gathered to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, a centuries-old tradition centered on reunion and the full harvest moon.

The festival, one of the country’s most important holidays, carries the message of coming together despite distance. Once, that was a challenge in a nation as vast as China. But the rapid expansion of high-speed rail has transformed travel. Trains now reach speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour, making journeys that once took days possible in just hours. A trip from Chongqing to Beijing, nearly 1,700 kilometers, takes only around six hours.

The moon — the central symbol of the festival — is not only admired in poetry and folklore, but also explored through science. China’s lunar exploration program has made headlines in recent years: the Chang’e-5 mission in 2020 collected 1.7 kilograms of samples from the moon’s surface, while Chang’e-6 in 2024 became the first mission to return nearly 2 kilograms of material from the far side of the moon.

Food is another hallmark of the festival. Families share mooncakes, traditionally filled with red bean paste or nuts, sometimes with salted egg yolks representing the full moon. Today, bakeries also experiment with modern flavors such as fruit, chocolate, and even ice cream, blending heritage with innovation.

As lanterns and lights illuminated cityscapes, the Mid-Autumn Festival once again reflected both China’s deep traditions and its drive toward modern achievements.