The document provides instructions for a group of students to revise an outline for an essay on the Mid-Autumn Festival and then write a 500-word essay based on the revised outline. It then provides background information on the history and traditions of the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, including how families would gather on the 15th day of the 8th month, eat mooncakes, light lanterns, and appreciate the full moon, tracing the festival's origins back over 2000 years.

1. M18 ISL
Leong Wai Kuan, Tiang Ching Sieng, Ho Kiang Cheon,
Ng Yen Qi, Lim Choon Che, Lim Wen Qian (P1B)
In groups, taking into account the peer feedback, redraft the outline for the
expository/ argumentative essay. Individually, write a 500-words essay based on
the revised outline and submit to tutor.
Expository Essay:
“Mid-Autumn Festival ”
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most
important festivities in China, According to
Chinese lunar calendar, the 15th day of the 8th
month is the exact midst of autumn, so it's called
the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn
Festival is an evening celebration when families
gather together to light lanterns, eat moon cakes
and appreciate the round moon. On that night, the moon appears to be at its roundest
and brightest. The full moon is a symbol for family reunion, which is why that day is also
known as the Festival of Reunion.
The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations date back to more than 2,000 years ago. In
feudal times, Chinese emperors prayed to Heaven for a prosperous year. They chose the
morning of the 15th day of the second lunar month to worship the sun and the night of
the 15th day of the eighth lunar month to hold a ceremony in praise of the moon. In the
western district of Beijing is the Yuetan Park, which originally was the Temple of Moon,
and every year the emperor would go there to offer a sacrifice to the moon.
This ancient custom became prevalent in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) that people
enjoyed and worshipped the full moon. In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279),
however, people sent round moon cakes to their relatives as gifts in expression of their
best wishes of family reunion. When it turned dark, they gazed up at the full silver moon
or went sightseeing by lakes, to celebrate the festival.

2. Since the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911), the custom of Mid-
Autumn Festival celebration has become unprecedentedly popular. Together with the
celebration appeared some special customs in different parts of the country, such as
burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting lanterns on towers and fire dragon
dances, etc. Whenever the festival sets in, people would look up at the full silver moon,
drinking wine to celebrate their happy life, or thinking of their relatives and friends far from
home and extending all of their best wishes to them.
In mid-autumn, farmers have just finished gathering their crops and bringing in
fruits from the orchards. They are overwhelmed with joy when they have a bumper harvest
and at the same time, they feel quite relaxed after a year of hard work. So the 15th day
of the eighth lunar month (the Mid-Autumn Festival) has gradually evolved as a widely
celebrated festival for ordinary people.
Night falls. The land is bathed in silver moonlight. Families set up tables in their
courtyards or sit together on their balconies, chatting and sharing offerings to the moon.
Together, they enjoy the enchanting spell of night. Naturally, they are reminded of
beautiful legends about the moon.
Retrived from: http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_chinaway/node_414.htm

3. Points
- Chinese lunar calendar - 15th day of the 8th month - exact midst of autumn -
Mid-Autumn Festival.
- An evening celebration - families gather together
- people enjoyed and worshipped the full moon.- sent round moon cakes to their relatives
as gifts in expression of their best wishes of family reunion
- become unprecedentedly popular - celebration appeared some special customs in
different parts of the country - burning incense, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting
lanterns on towers and fire dragon dances.
- farmers - finished gathering crops and bringing in fruits
- Night - set up tables - chatting - sharing offerings to the moon - reminded of beautiful
legends about the moon
ESSAY WRITING:
“ Mid-Autumn Festival ”
One of the festival that we would like to celebrate is the Mid-Autumn Festival, which
also known as Mooncake Festival. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese
lunar calendar and we will celebrate it in the evening. In this range, farmers have just
finished their gathering crops and bringing fruits from the ochards. Families will gather
together and set up the tables, chatting and also sharing offerings to the moon. Then,
they will light lanterns, eat mooncakes and appreciate the round moon and reminded of
beautiful legends about the moon.
There are many tales about the importance of the mooncake and children are told
the story of Chang’Er in the gathering. There is another legend links them to a mythical
day when ten suns appeared at once in the sky. The emperor ordered a famous archer
to shoot down nine extra suns. When the task was accomplished, he was awarded a pill
that would make him immortal but it was only eaten by his beautiful wife. After taking pill,
she floated all the way and flied to the moon. Besides, it is said her beaty is the greatest
on the day of the moon festival that takes place on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.
This celebrations are date back to more than 2,000 years ago where people
enjoyed and worshipped the full moon and sent round moon cakes to their relatives as

4. gifts in expression of their best wishes of family reunion. The celebration of Mid-Autumn
Festival become unprecedentedly popular since Ming and Qing dynasties.The people
gather and celebrate with the special customs in different parts of country such as burning
incense, planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting lanterns on towers and fire dragon dances.
Today, Chinese people also celebrate the festival with the customs such as dances,
feasting and moon gazing. Of course, it includes the eating of mooncakes. The traditional
mooncakes have a filling of sweet bean paste, lotus paste or assorted nuts, which covered
by a golden brown flaky skin made of flour, syrup, oil and alkaline water.
Over the years, mooncakes have evolved in taste to suit the healthy-concious
modern lifestyle. Many bakeries are trending to offer the miniature mooncakes and fat-free
mooncakes, while some of them are made of yogurt, jelly, and fat-free ice-cream. In
the process making mooncakes, bakers will boast about how little sugar and oil to use in
their mooncakes. To customers, we can found many types of mooncakes when the mid-autumn
festival is around the corner. We can pick and choose the size and filling which
suits their taste and diet as we like. However, we think that the traditional bean-paste
filling with egg yolk mooncake is the one that still very popular in market.
Another unique feature is the latern parades by children. When the festival coming
around the corner, we will see there is many red plastic laterns of traditional styles and
decorated with traditional designs or patterns are prepared for the occasion to celebrate
the sighting of the moon. On that night, the roads are alight with thousands of candlelit
laterns used to made in traditional shapes such as goldfish, carps and butterflies.
Recently, laterns are also made in the shape of the character in the cartoon to attract the
children such as ‘Spongebob’, ‘ Doraemon’, ‘Pikachu’ and ‘Minions’.
Offering of mooncakes, foods and prayers are made with the usual lighting of joss-sticks,
red candle and golden joss-paper are burnt. After that, there is feasting and merry-making
with the children in carrying their lighted latterns around the neighbourhood.
There is some interesting informations about one of the Chinese traditional festival
celebrating. Our traditional and culture show our identities. That is important to make sure
it can be carry forward our fine tradition to our next generations.
( 635 words )
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