Golden autumn brings refreshing breezes, and sweet osmanthus fills the air. On the campus of Zhejiang Industry & Trade Vocational College, there is an extra touch of warmth that transcends national borders.To enable international students to immerse themselves in the unique charm of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the School of International Education carefully designed a series of cultural experience activities themed "Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival" at the Oujingkou Campus and Fudong Road Campus respectively. Kazakh students kneaded dough to learn how to make mooncakes, while South African students sat around chatting about their experience in China. Smiles of different skin colors shone alongside the bright moonlight, making this Mid-Autumn festival particularly warm and heartfelt.

At the start of the event, teachers from he School of International Education walked into the activity room carrying boxes of exquisitely packaged mooncakes, and first handed out these "exclusive Mid-Autumn Festival gifts" to the students. "Do you know why we eat mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival?" Holding up a mooncake, the teacher slowly told the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival in both Chinese and English—from the ancient custom of worshipping the moon on Mid-Autumn Eve to the romantic legends of Chang'e flying to the moon and the Jade Rabbit pounding medicine. This ancient and beautiful story was as if it transported them through time and space, allowing them to experience that legend about love, sacrifice, and eternity. The international students listened with great interest, letting out exclamations from time to time. Through this story, they gained a preliminary yet profound understanding of Chinese culture.

The subsequent Chinese learning salon, featuring the line "Raising my head, I see the moon bright; Bowing my head, I miss my hometown," became a "fun class" for the students. With "Mid-Autumn Festival" and "moon" as the core, the teacher guided everyone to learn relevant Chinese words and poetic lines: besides "Raising my head, I see the moon bright; Bowing my head, I miss my hometown," there was also "May we all be blessed with longevity; Though far apart, we still share the beautiful moonlight." The teacher also taught everyone to say "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival" in Chinese. Ayan from Kazakhstan studied particularly carefully—he followed along and read, "Before my bed there is bright moonlight; I wonder if it's frost on the ground." The teacher smiled and corrected his pronunciation, and the classroom was filled with light-hearted laughter." Who knew Chinese related to the moon could be so beautiful!" Ilan said. He used to find Chinese difficult, but this time, learning it through ancient Chinese poems helped him remember it right away. "In the future, I want to teach my family to say 'Happy Mid-Autumn Festival'."

The liveliest part was none other than the activity organized by the School of Artificial Intelligence and the School of International Education, where international students majoring in Software Technology were invited to participate in making mooncakes together with Chinese students. "First, knead the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disc, put the filling in, and wrap it up slowly..." Chinese student Xiao Wang patiently instructed Adina. However, during her first attempt, Adina still squeezed the filling out—both of them laughed and fixed it together. On the other side, Sezim learned to press patterns with a mooncake mold from her volunteer partner. When the mooncake printed with the Chinese character "Fu" (meaning "blessing") was unmolded, she held it up excitedly to show everyone: "Look! I made a mooncake successfully!" In no time, the table was filled with mooncakes of various shapes—some had clear patterns, while others were "round and cute". Though not perfect in appearance, they were all "the first Mid-Autumn Festival gifts" made by everyone’s own hands. "Making mooncakes is harder than I thought, but doing it with Chinese classmates is really fun!" Amir held the mooncake he made, planning to take it back and share it with his roommates. "This is the most unforgettable festival I’ve had in China."

On the other side, at the Fudong Road Campus, leaders of the School of International Business and Trade specially invited international students from the South African "Cross-Border E-Commerce" class to attend a warm Mid-Autumn Festival chat meeting. Inside the classroom, mooncakes and fruits were neatly arranged, and red slogans reading "Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival" were posted on the walls—creating a perfect festive atmosphere.

At the chat meeting, the South African international student representative spoke first, sharing his experience of life in China, from "feeling unfamiliar" to "adapting".

"China's development speed is so fast; studying here, I gain something new every day."

Teachers gave each South African student a mooncake and specifically asked about how they were adapting to the local food. Every thoughtful greeting made the international students feel especially warm. "Thank you to the school for remembering our preferences!" the South African student said. This was the first time they had celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival abroad. "The mooncakes are sweet, just like the kindness of our Chinese friends towards us. In the future, I hope to take the cross-border e-commerce experience I’ve learned in China back to South Africa and be a 'bridge' for trade between China and other countries."

During this Mid-Autumn festival, international students who couldn’t be with their families found "a reunion of a different kind" at Zhejiang Industry & Trade Vocational College. From the aroma of mooncakes at the Oujingkou Campus to the lively conversations at the Fudong Road Campus, the School of International Education with other schools used a series of warm-hearted activities to help international students understand the meaning of "reunion" in Mid-Autumn Festival. Where the moonlight shines, it is home; Where our feet tread, it is life. May every international student at our college gain knowledge and friendship amid cultural exchange, and may the warmth of this Mid-Autumn festival become a precious memory in their academic journey in China.