Moon Festival gala to be held in Suzhou
( chinadaily.com.cn )
Updated: 2014-07-28
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The Mid-Autumn Festival gala organized by China Central Television (CCTV) is to be held in Suzhou on Sept 8.
"Suzhou is a modern city with a rich historical past, so it is a wonderful place for us to extend Moon Festival wishes to all the Chinese people worldwide," said the gala’s director Zhou Xiaolan in an interview on July 19.
According to the director, the 2014 gala will comprise four chapters: "Dialogue with the Moon," "Hometown," "Chinese Dream," and "Moon over the Sea."
Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar, is an important day for Chinese family reunions. With people traditionally eating moon cakes and appreciating the full moon, it is also referred to as the Moon Festival.
The National Moon Festival gala was initiated by CCTV in 1999. Every year, nearly 300 million people around the world watch the gala, which has been hosted by different Chinese cities with distinct features.
With many Taiwan businesses in Suzhou, the gala in Suzhou will also be a chance for them to tell their stories along with Suzhou city.
"We would also like the audience to see some of Suzhou’s cultural symbols, such as the Canglang Pavilion, Maple Bridge, Suzhou lanterns, Kunqu opera and Pingtan performances." The director revealed that he was thinking about adapting "The Peony Pavilion," a famous repertoire of Kunqu opera, into the Moon Festival event.