Rain was dropping heavily last night and made me feel a little sentimental. So I took a night stroll around my neighbourhood with the voice of Teresa Teng repeating in my head
Romantika in Glodok happened out of romance. This is for one faithful day that we will finally meet, this is for you who live to love.
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Once upon a time in ancient China, ten suns hung in the sky. The heat of the suns caused a drought and the harvest began to shrivel up. The emperor of China asked his master archer, Hou Yi, to shoot down all but one of the ten suns.
Hou Yi climbed to the top of Kunlun Mountain, shooting down nine suns. The grateful emperor presented him with an elixir that would grant him immortality.
However, Hou Yi had a beautiful wife, Chang’e, and he did not wish to become immortal without her.
After Hou Yi was acclaimed as a hero, he stashed away the elixir in a secret place. Feng Meng, a student of Hou Yi’s, discovered the existence of the elixir. One day, when Hou Yi was away, Feng Meng tried to force Chang’e to give him the elixir.
Chang'e knew she couldn't defeat Pang Meng, so she drank it immediately. The elixir made her fly higher and higher. In the end, she stopped on the moon. She became immortal.
Missing his beloved wife, Hou Yi burned incense and food offerings, and the practice spread throughout China. It is said that during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chang’e and Hou Yi are reunited — which is why Mid-Autumn Festival is also an important day for families and lovers to come together.
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Happy mid-autumn festival. May we are blessed with longevity and everlasting fate to celebrate this auspicious day with the people we love the most.
