Singapore

For Sandra it was difficult being born in Singapore and being a huayi, a term for being Chinese descent but born overseas. She knew her ancestors came all the way from Guangdong many years ago. She loved Singapore, but didn’t consider herself a true Singaporean. She treasured her Chinese roots too much.

It was almost the fifteenth day of the eight lunar month, which meant the Mid Autumn festival was near. Her favorite thing about this celebration were definitely the mooncakes. Her family gave and received many of them because giving them as a gift means that they wish unity and peace in the family.

She hadn’t been to China yet, but Sandra knew by her older relatives that every town in China has its own special mooncake. They are all very delicious, but the ones from Kwangtung are the most famous and asked for. She was proud of being from this province.

When she was little they will buy her lanterns of different animal shapes and colors. They will place a table in from of their house with an incense pot and behind it they will put mooncakes, wine, melon as offerings to the moon. They all admired the moon, which would be a full moon that looked beautiful.

It was early in the morning and she was having breakfast with her mom. They were having dumplings and, like every other day; tea. The Chinese are the first tea drinking race after all, so having good quality tea is crucial.

“You know, the mooncake festival is near. Have you heard the story about their importance in the Ming Dynasty?” Her mom asked while pouring herself more tea. Sandra rolled her eyes because she hears it every year, still, she loved when her mom repeated it.

There is a legend that says that the general of the Han people named Chue Yuen Cheong lost against the Mongols during the Yuan Dynasty. He wasn’t going down so easily and started thinking how he could strike back. Lau Pak Wen, his military adviser, thought of how they could make use of mooncakes to communicate with the people. During the Mid Autumn festival everyone ate and gave them as gifts so there would be no suspicion from the Mongols. They then started their own bakery and wrote instruction slips with the day and time of the attack and placed them in every mooncake they could. The Han people read them and got ready for the attack, which took the Mongols very much by surprise. The Yuan Dynasty was then overthrown and the Ming Dynasty started. Mooncakes had a new and rare meaning: it’s round shape signified unity and success from being freed from the Mongols.

Sandra smiled. She liked that Singaporeans celebrated the Mid Autumn festival. This way she could feel closer to her roots and ancestors. She could get good quality mooncakes from the Chinese bakeries but she suspected they couldn’t be compared with the ones from Kwangtung. She had wanted to go to China since she was very little,

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