Come to Chengdu for Mid-Autumn Museums, Parades, and Exhibitions

The Mid-Autumn Festival is around the corner,

and Chengdu’s museums and cultural venues are introducing new programs

for residents and visitors

who seek unique ways to celebrate the festival.

Chengdu Museum

From September 25 to 27, the viewing corridor on the sixth floor will hold hands-on activities featuring traditional Mid-Autumn folk crafts. On September 25, a special interactive parade will be held, where the character performers of Chang’e, the Jade Rabbit, Zhuo Wenjun, and Su Shi will tour the museum and engage with visitors along the route.
From September 25 to 26, the Social Education Hall on the fifth floor will feature the “Legends of the Jade Rabbit in Cultural Relics” study program. Drawing on artifacts such as the Mawangdui silk paintings and Han Dynasty roof tiles featuring the Jade Rabbit and toad, the program will introduce the legends of the Jade Rabbit and invite participants to make Mid-Autumn Jade Rabbit lanterns.

Du Fu Thatched Cottage

On September 25, the Mid-Autumn gathering at Du Fu Thatched Cottage will return as scheduled. Starting with the ethereal sounds of guqin, an ancient Chinese instrument, the celebration will present excerpts from traditional opera, traditional Chinese instrumental music ensembles, and ancient-style vocal performances.
From September 25 to 27, the immersive garden parade drama “Tonight’s Moon Shines on Old Friends” will be staged. Set against the cultural backdrop of Du Fu’s poetry, the drama will feature an interactive storyline in a real-world setting.
Visitors may head to Wanfo Tower within the museum for traditional Chinese medicine-inspired mooncake making and traditional lantern DIY workshops. A fair themed around intangible cultural heritage crafts, poetry-themed cultural and creative products, and local delicacies will open for a limited time.
The 54th Penjing Exhibition at Chengdu Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum will kick off during the festival, showcasing the distinctive charm of Sichuan-style penjing. The exhibition will run through October 7.
China’s first cultural relics exhibition dedicated to Du Fu and Qinzhou, “The Moon Shines Brighter Over My Hometown—Du Fu and Qinzhou-themed Cultural Relics Exhibition”, is currently on display at Chengdu Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum.

Wuhou Shrine

On September 25, the “Moonlit Shrine—Elegance of the Three Kingdoms” Mid-Autumn Festival celebration will kick off at Wuhou Shrine, alongside the “Trendy Wuhou—Jinnan Fair” Intangible Cultural Heritage Life Season. The event will feature four main highlights: performances, an intangible cultural heritage fair, interactive experiences, and featured exhibitions.
On the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the highlight “Jinnan Moon Lanterns—Three Kingdoms Lantern Parade” will take place. Intangible cultural heritage horse lanterns and fish lanterns will parade through the grounds, while Three Kingdoms-themed character performers will interact with visitors along the route and hand out mooncakes and custom-made scented sachets.
During the holiday, the “Three Kingdoms Gathering of Elegance” will be staged in the West Zone of Wuhou Shrine. The “Wuhou Stringed Music” traditional guqin performances will be presented at the Three Kingdoms Culture Exhibition Hall and Sanyi Temple Square. An intangible cultural heritage fair will be set up at the Jianxin Hall Square in the West Zone.
The “Ode to the Shu Capital—Myriad Scenes of Yizhou through Hometown Sentiment, Statecraft, and Reverie” special exhibition is currently on display at Qunxian Hall.

Chengdu Natural History Museum

Chengdu Natural History Museum (The Museum of Chengdu University of Technology) will celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival under the theme “Mid-Autumn Festival at the Museum—A Moonlit Gathering to Savor the Beauty of Autumn”, offering an interpretation of Mid-Autumn traditions from the perspective of Shen Kuo, the renowned Song Dynasty geologist.
On the first day of the festival, a character performer of Shen Kuo will appear with a replica of the long scroll of his book Dream Pool Essays. Accompanied by traditional music and dance, he will parade through the Geology Hall and Dinosaur Hall while sharing stories of geology.
On the second day, the museum will hold a garden fair. Visitors can play games to earn “jiaozi”, the paper currency used in the Song Dynasty, and redeem it for activities including moon-phase observation, lantern-riddle guessing, lantern painting, bookmark making, and gomoku. Overnight stays at the museum will be available for registration.
On the third day, the museum will hold a Song-style cultural gathering, where visitors can make Mid-Autumn hairpins with brocade and beads and learn traditional tea-roasting and tea-grinding techniques for an immersive experience of the ancient Dian Cha tea-making art.
Source: HomeinChengdu