On Oct. 5, 2024, the Chinese Club, Global Ambassadors Club and the Society of Asian Culture gathered 40 curious students to visit Chinatown in Chicago, Illinois, to embrace cultural differences. The students enjoyed new cuisines, listened to various kinds of music, checked out religious monuments, saw interesting historical artifacts, and much more. Chinese teacher Lin Laoshi and Chinese teacher Guan Laoshi planned this trip for seven years and have seen students’ interest go up every year. Tickets are sold out in just a matter of days. Now juniors, sophomores, and freshmen eagerly await the next one.
The field trip celebrates The Mid-Autumn Festival, more known as the Moon Cake Festival. According to the Gregorian calendar, the day of celebration is specifically on Oct. 6. This date was chosen because Chinese people believe that the moon is at its brightest and fullest size, coinciding with harvest time in the middle of autumn. It is also believed that this was the best time for the gods to hear their prayer for a bountiful harvest.
