STORY: Moon Festival celebrated in Basel
DATELINE: Sept. 25, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:34
LOCATION: GENEVA, Switzerland
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): XU QIN, Vice president of the Basel Moon Festival Association Council
2. various of the Basel Moon Festival

STORYLINE:

Though the full moon is still a week away, the square of Munsterplatz at central Basel, in northwest Switzerland, has already filled with crowds celebrating the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival in China.

People from the canton of Basel, other Swiss regions and even border cities of France and Germany flocked to the ancient square on Saturday to enjoy a taste of the Chinese folk festival, a tradition set up 15 years ago.

According to Xu Qin, vice president of the Basel Moon Festival Association Council, the city has started to celebrate the Moon Festival since 2009, two years after Basel became the sister city of Shanghai.

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): XU QIN, Vice president of the Basel Moon Festival Association Council
"Nowadays, there are more and more Chinese in Switzerland. Many of them are second-generation Chinese or grew up here. They don't have a chance to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. I think they can join our festival on this day and see a lot of Chinese people, people who have the same skin color and who speak the same language as us. I think it's also a kind of comfort for ourselves, and I think it means more for me to do this thing for the next generation."

This year at the center of the square, the audience enjoyed performances brought by young acrobats, a horn quartet, and a children's choir among others. Under chestnut trees, people can sit on benches beside long tables, watching the show while enjoying traditional Chinese snacks offered in the stalls scattered around the square.

The actors of youth martial arts from the Zurich Wushu Team and the children lion dancers from Basel Sun Wu Kung Fu gained waves of cheers and applause from the audience.

In addition to the popular delicacies such as fried dumplings, spring rolls and meat buns, booths presenting Chinese calligraphy, traditional hand-weaving, Chinese fans and tea culture were also surrounded by visitors.

For 18-year-old Tony, this was his fifth time attending the celebration. "I come from Aargau canton with my mother every time. I know that the Moon Festival is an important festival for the Chinese."

"I got the information on social media, and students in Freiburg know this event," said Song, a volunteer who came from Freiburg to help the festival association council. "This event can bring more Chinese people together."

During the performance, Beat Jans, the governor of the canton of Basel-City, who was absent this year due to his working schedule, sent his message to wish everyone a happy Moon Festival.

Xu told Xinhua that it has been a tradition that the governor attends the event, delivers a speech hailing diverse cultural exchanges, and distributes mooncakes to the audience.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Geneva, Switzerland.
(XHTV)