Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival and learn about Chinese traditions and customs from the comfort of your own home with the inaugural digital edition of the well-loved Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations by the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall!

Falling on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, the Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as Mooncake Festival) is one of the most important festivals for Chinese communities around the world. Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival invites the public to celebrate and acquaint themselves with the rich historical and cultural significance of the festival as part of the memorial hall’s efforts to promote Chinese arts, culture and heritage.

Held online via the memorial hall’s Facebook page (@sysnmh), Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival aims to bring heritage to closer to home through an exciting line-up of family-friendly digital initiatives such as cooking classes, storytelling sessions, interactive craft demonstrations and more. Besides the digital offerings, visitors to the memorial hall can look forward to its thematic lantern installation, “Rolling in Abundance”, which promises to make for great photo-moments under the stars.

Lantern Installation: “Rolling in Abundance”
(Supported by 78JO)

Produced by Hong Kong artist Sunny Tam of the collectible label, 78JO in collaboration with the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, “Rolling in Abundance” is an outdoor installation featuring four large roly-poly fish lanterns. In Chinese culture, fishes (“yu”) symbolise completeness and abundance, as it is a homonym for the Mandarin word for “abundance” (“yu”). The rounded nature of the design is doubly symbolic, as roundness (“yuan”) also sounds similar to the Mandarin word for “reunion” (“tuan yuan”), and pays homage to the full and bright mid-autumn moon. 

“Rolling in Abundance” utilises wordplay to present traditional beliefs and values in a modern context, and encourages deeper understanding and appreciation of the beauty of the Chinese language. More importantly, in these trying times, the installation embodies our hope for more abundant years to come, and gives thanks as we reunite with families and loved ones during Phase 2 of Singapore’s circuit breaker period

Date: 15 September - 11 October
Time: 10.00am - 9.00pm (daily)

In the Kitchen with Chef Eric Neo: Pulot Hitam Snowskin Mooncake
(Supported by InterContinental Singapore)

Mid-Autumn Festival won’t be complete without mooncakes, which are Chinese pastries traditionally filled with a sweet lotus paste. Join us in the kitchen with Chef Eric Neo from InterContinental Singapore and Nicole Chang Min as they guide you through the steps to create a unique Mid-Autumn treat bursting with local flavour - Pulot Hitam Snowskin Mooncake!  Will Nicole be able to pass Chef Eric’s culinary challenge and create her very own Pulot Hitam Snowskin Mooncake in record time? Watch this video to find out! 

Date: 1 October 2020

In the Kitchen with Chef Donny Tan: Sweet Union Pear
(Supported by Allswell Trading Pte Ltd)

Pears (pronounced as ‘li’ in Mandarin) are a symbolic fruit in Chinese culture, as it is homophonous with the Mandarin word for ‘separation’ (‘li’). Consuming pears during Mid-Autumn Festival therefore symbolises a desire for reunion and is believed to prevent separation from loved ones. For today’s Mid-Autumn culinary challenge, join us in the kitchen with Chef Donny Tan represented by Allswell, Aiken and Mummy Ros as they create a special festive dessert using Allswell’s Golden Pear with Aloe Vera drink– Sweet Union Pear. In the spirit of togetherness, find out if Aiken and Mummy Ros can complete today’s cooking challenge with teamwork by only using one hand each! 

Date: 4 October 2020

Mid-Autumn Craft Tutorial: Create Your Own Bunny Lantern
(Supported by Event Arts)

Lighting lanterns is a popular traditional activity associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival - they chase away the darkness, light the way home at night, and represent a desire for union and the aspiration for a better life. Most importantly, lighting lanterns add a touch of festivity and are great fun for all ages! Create your own bunny lantern in this DIY Mid-Autumn craft tutorial using recycled materials found at home for an unique Mid-Autumn experience.

Date: 7 October 2020

Mid-Autumn Craft Tutorial: Create Your Own Moon Gazing Binoculars
(Supported by Event Arts)

Did you know? The moon is said to be its fullest and brightest during the Mid-Autumn Festival! Get your creative juices flowing and try your hand at making your own Moon Gazing Binoculars this festive season. Take a look through your binoculars and you might see the moon goddess Chang’E and her loyal companion, the Jade Rabbit!

Date: 26 September 2020

Mid-Autumn Tales: “Happy Mooncake Festival, Elena!”
(Supported by Speak Good English Movement)

Do you know why we eat mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival, or how the legend of Chang’E came to be? Explore the origins of Mid-Autumn Festival at this special interactive storytelling session and learn more about the connection between the Moon Goddess, Jade Rabbit, and our much-loved mooncakes!  

Join Karen Lim, actress, storyteller and FLY Entertainment Artiste, as she reads ‘Happy Mooncake Festival Elena!’, written by Dingli Stevens, illustrated by Liang Kun and published by Armour Publishing. Embark on a magical journey with Elena and her new friend Bunny, as they learn more about Mid-Autumn Festival and why mooncakes taste so yummy! Pay attention to the story and see if you can answer our quiz questions along the way.

Date: 21 September 2020

Mid-Autumn Tales: 《中秋节快乐》
(Supported by Speak Mandarin Campaign)

Do you know why we eat mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival, or how the legend of Chang’E came to be? Explore the origins of Mid-Autumn Festival at this special interactive storytelling session and learn more about the connection between the Moon Goddess, Jade Rabbit, and our much-loved mooncakes!  

Sit tight as we bring you another Mid-Autumn storytelling experience by storyteller, Priscilla Wong! Join this Mandarin reading of ‘Happy Mid-Autumn Festival’ (《中秋节快乐》), written and illustrated by Meng Yanan and published by Tian Tian Publishing. Go on an adventure with Mother Rabbit as she meets some kind-hearted friends to gather different ingredients to make a yummy Mid-Autumn Festival treat! Can you spot a special character hidden in the story?

Date: 29 September 2020

Fun with Lantern Riddles

Dating back to ancient China, lantern riddles are a quintessential game played during the Mid-Autumn Festival and were popular amongst scholars as a way for them to test each other and show off their wits and knowledge. Complete your Mid-Autumn experience and challenge yourself with our series of fun lantern riddles!

Date: 19 September 2020

What Kind of Mooncake Are You?

Mooncakes come in all shapes, sizes, designs and flavours! Are you a traditional Cantonese lotus paste mooncake or an exotic and ethereal Yunnan flower mooncake? Check out this fun infographic to find out what type of mooncake you are, and learn more about the different varieties of mooncakes from cultures all around the world.

Date: 23 September 2020

10 Crazy Myths About the Moon

In Chinese culture, the full moon symbolises union and togetherness among loved ones. But did you know that the moon symbolises different things in other cultures around the world? From werewolves to the resolution of old feuds, watch this light-hearted Mid-Autumn video to discover some intriguing, fun and downright wacky myths about the moon!

Date: 16 September 2020

Music at Monuments – NHB x SCCC

Bask in the voices of local a cappella band The Apex Project as they present a medley of moon-themed songs to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival at Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, Singapore’s 33rd National Monument! Co-presented by the Preservation of Sites & Monuments division of the National Heritage Board and Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, this is the first of the Music at Monuments – NHB x SCCC series which features our homegrown talents performing curated tunes at our National Monuments.

Date: 24 September 2020

Virtual Museum Guided Tours
(Supported by Friends of the Museums, Mandarin Docents, River Valley High School)

Learn more about the contributions of the Chinese business pioneers to the development of early Singapore with the talented student guides from River Valley High School as they take you on a virtual tour of the Memorial Hall’s revamped Gallery 4. The tours will be presented as a four-part video series, available in English and Mandarin.

Date: 20 & 27 September; 3 & 8 October 2020