For the mid-Autumn Festival, Beijing's Longtan Park was decorated with thousands of beautifully shaped and various sized lanterns right through until October 7^th.  Traditional and tacky all in one. 

"I was never told the reasons for this holiday when I was little," said Mr. Li blushing. Like many Chinese, this 23 year-old Beijinger admits he does not know the origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival nor the Moon Festival or Zhongqiujie. This year, this traditional Chinese holiday was held on September 25^th. It is an opportunity for families to gather together and eat sweet, desert-like moon cakes (yuebing) and to go to the park and admire glowing lanterns. 

 In Beijing, Longtan Park was decorated with a vast range of lanterns for a two week period. Until Sunday October 7^th, this big park, located on the eastern side of the capital, became a veritable fairground. Young and old came together to celebrate this holiday simply because "it's tradition".

Its 5.30 pm at Longtan Park: the wind is blowing and there's dust in the air. The sky is growing ominously dark. This, however, doesn't keep the 250 or so people who are gathered from enjoying the traditional dance performance at the entrance of the park. 

Dressed in concubine outfits, the aging performers flirt with a slightly haughty ‘Emperor', to the sound of cymbals, gongs and wind instruments.

In the circle formed around the troupe, some parents are carrying their child, dressed in trousers with a slit in the bottom. A young girl is hugging a huge fluffy animal she won at the fair. Guards slurp their soup noisily under the trees.

In one of the alleyways crowded with charms and trinkets (among other things, decorated bags, souvenirs, puzzles, winter underwear and sweets), a Chinese model is posing in a bridal dress in front of a shooting stall. Hip hop beats and cheap Western songs are floating over the crowd and competing with the Chinese nursery rimes crackling from the PA system.         

At six o'clock, the first lanterns are lit. Paper Beijing Opera masks are hung next to red lanterns and pig shaped figurines, for 2007 is the Year of the Pig. On the surface of the lake, floating models of dragons, the Temple of Heaven and lotus flowers start to be illuminated. The Olympic Games are not left out either. 

They retrace the history of the Olympic Games, right from the first Olympiad in Greece until the upcoming Games in Beijing in 2008. On top of all these other acts, a shadow puppet troupe sets up their stage for their two daily performances (7.15pm and 8.15pm). Mid Autumn Festival is also an opportunity to make money. There is an organic fruit market whose stalls are selling all the same products as they usually do. "This market has nothing to do with the holiday", Li explains.  

Completely clueless

Visitors, looking dead ahead, are posing in front of lit figurines. Some families stroll around the park: children run ahead, old people stamp along behind. Even during this festive period, it's still difficult to start a conversation with any of them.