Lantern Festival

Oops, today is supposed to be (What do you mean, today is!) the Chinese Lantern Festival. Traditionally, it's the last day of the Spring Festival as it is the 15th of January according to Lunar Calendar (Which means that the moon is round)


We put up lanterns in the street and eat a dessert named Tangyuan (a ball-shaped dessert with fillings inside). Tangyuan express good wishes for the get-together of family, as yuan indicates being together in Chinese. The fillings can either be sweet (sesame) or salty (pork), both are very delicious with ginger soup!

Unfortunately, I forgot everything about this traditional festival because of that stressful oral exam. So now I post a picture of Tangyuan to make up for my loss.


There is a story of Tangyuan concerning Guangxu Emperor and Empress Dowager Cixi. After being imprisoned by Cixi, Guangxu Emperor fell into a predicament harder than ever as he might be suspected by Cixi of being unfilial for any small 'misdemeanor'. On one Lantern Festival Day, Guangxu Emperor attended the levee of Cixi as usual, while Cixi was having some Tangyuan. Cixi asked him if he had already had any. While in fact that Guangxu had already had enough, he didn't dare to say it as Cixi might become furious for his eating earlier than her. Thus he said that he hadn't had any, so that Cixi 'granted' him some Tangyuan. Guangxu ate them and felt so bloated. However, Cixi again asked him if he was still hungry. Guangxu had to say that he was still hungry in Cixi's favor. So that Cixi granted him more Tangyuan. Guangxu couldn't eat any more so that he hid all the Tangyuan in his sleeves. Going back to his own room, Guangxu's inner clothes had all being stained by the juice of Tangyuan, so that he asked his servant to bring him some clean clothes. Unfortunately, all his inner clothes had being confiscated by Cixi for daily check in case that he was planning anything against her. It was only after a long while did the servant manage to find some clean clothes for the poor Emperor.

While typing these words, I couldn't help laughing. However, at the next moment, I felt my heart crying. How authoritarian and cruel Cixi must had been to Guangxu throughout all those years, to the extent that he didn't dare to utter even one word against her will ?