Expats sample Mid-Autumn Festival in Jinan. [Video by Liu Chuan/english.jinan.gov.cn]

A group of expats living in Jinan, capital of East China's Shandong province, participated in an activity on how to make mooncakes in the Shunjing International Community, Lixia district on Sept 8, to celebrate the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival.

There are numerous tasks required, such as sculpting, stuffing, and flattening the mooncake skin. People who were new to making mooncakes presented snow skin mooncakes in fairly lovely shapes under the guidance of professionals.

Mid-Autumn Festival is on the 15th day of the eighth month on the lunar calendar every year. This year it will be on Sept 10. On the holiday, it is customary for Chinese to reunite with family members and enjoy a sweet mooncake while observing the beautiful moon.

"I have been living here for almost three years, and it is my first experience here that I tried to make mooncakes and it was fantastic!" said Alexandra Golub from the United States.

"The festival has been a longstanding history among the Chinese people," said Tebello Darlington Tshongwe, a Shandong Youth University of Political Science overseas student. He added that he can now finally make mooncakes and hopes to do it again next year.

People at the party yielded an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment and acquirement after eating their self-made mooncakes. The celebration is merely a pit stop in a lengthy series of activities Shunjing International Community launched. The neighborhood will continue to focus on its goal of promoting traditional Chinese culture and bringing happiness to its residents.