Students Enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival at Southern Methodist University 

Peanuts fly across the table as chopsticks race after them in an intense head-to-head competition as freshmen students Nicolette Walsh and Crystal Smith race to win the title of ultimate chopstick champion on Wednesday at the Mid-Autumn Festival hosted by the Chinese Language Club at Southern Methodist University. 

Chatter fills the room as students crowd around to watch their game and peruse the other booths full of colorful and interactive activities.

“My favorite part of the festival is the food,” said Harrison Cui, a junior studying finance. “I also enjoyed making the moon cakes and winning snacks by solving riddles and playing the games.” 

One table is covered in soft, moldable dough, a tasty bean paste and instructions on how to make mooncakes. Mooncakes are a traditional Chinese pastry typically eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which celebrates the rice harvest. 

“I come from a traditional Chinese family so it’s really nice to actually make the cakes instead of just eating them.” Smith said. 

After watching Smith’s chopstick game, Cui wanders to the mooncake table and begins to build his own mooncake. After rolling his dough too thin, he says he needs more practice in the future. 

Along with the mooncakes, aspects of the Mid-Autumn Festival are devoted to thanking the gods for a successful harvest. This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival fell on Sept. 10, but the SMU celebration was on Sept. 21. 

Both Cui and Smith attended the SMU festival on behalf of their Chinese language class. Their professor, Xiau Hu, is one of the administrators who organized the event. 

Many of the craft and game inspirations, like the chopstick game and lantern building and decorating, came from an app translated to “Red” in English, Hu said. Red is an app like Pinterest or TikTok that is used widely among the Chinese community in America. The Chinese translation means “little red book.” 

Cui said that he started to take Hu’s Chinese class because he wanted to be able to speak to his family who still lives in China. 

“I felt bad not being able to speak to my grandparents when I visited,” Cui said. “I really owe it to them to learn a little Chinese before they pass.”

The celebratory nature of the Mid-Autumn Festival holds a special meaning of tradition and reunion to some SMU students.

Students Harrison Cui and Spencer Buchholz enjoy Boba Tea at the festival. Photo by Ella McDonald. 

Nicolette Walsh and Crystal Smith play the chopstick master game. Photo by Ella McDonald.