On October 6, 2025 (local time), the Service Plaza of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) was festively decorated with lanterns and filled with lively celebration and a rich Chinese atmosphere. Hosted by the Confucius Institute at UFMG, the 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival Cultural Event was grandly held under the theme “Tradition and Interaction.” Featuring six immersive and interactive activities, the event attracted hundreds of enthusiastic teachers and students, becoming a highlight of campus cultural exchange.
Meticulous Preparation: Crossing Oceans with a Cultural Suitcase Ready
Preparations for this much-anticipated event began as early as July. In August, newly arrived volunteer teachers at the Confucius Institute actively participated in drafting the event plan, contributing their creativity and skills to include culturally rich experiences such as tea whisking (diancha), traditional sachet making, and cuju — an ancient Chinese ball game considered the predecessor of modern football.
To make the experience more authentic, the volunteers made room in their limited luggage allowance to bring from China ingredients for snow-skin mooncakes, cuju props, and traditional Chinese herbs like passionflower, rose, mint, and lavender for sachet making. One week before the event, the volunteers gathered to prepare handmade snow-skin mooncakes for participants to enjoy on site.
The venue, located in the heart of the UFMG campus, featured a circular stage surrounded by seating — a “prime spot” for large events. Red lanterns, Chinese knots, and traditional patterns created an immersive festive atmosphere, making participants feel as if they had stepped into a vibrant Mid-Autumn market in China.
Immersive Experience: Tradition Ignites Enthusiasm
By 9:30 a.m., the audience area was filled. Elementary school students from the Confucius Institute’s affiliated program arrived in uniform, their eyes bright with curiosity and excitement as they joined university students and faculty to explore the charm of Chinese traditions.
The event began with a short video introducing the origins and customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival, followed by welcoming speeches from both the Chinese director Cui Guangying and foreign director Miriam Mansu of the Confucius Institute, who invited everyone to discover the beauty of Chinese culture through hands-on experience.
Cuju Debut: A Football Kingdom Meets Its Ancient Ancestor
As the forerunner of modern football, cuju naturally sparked excitement in Brazil — the “kingdom of football.” The goalpost, ingeniously crafted by the Chinese director from a 55-inch TV box painted with cuju motifs, featured a 35 cm hole. Participants stood 1.5 meters away and tried to kick the ball through it.
The rule “Score a goal and win a panda plush!” immediately drew long lines of eager participants. Some laughed after missing and kicked again barefoot; others celebrated their goals with cheers and high-fives. One Brazilian student exclaimed, “I didn’t know football’s ancestor was this hard to play!”
Sachets and Tea Art: Dialogue Between Fingertips and Taste Buds
At the sachet-making station, over ten aromatic herbs such as mint, perilla leaves, angelica, and lavender were neatly arranged. Participants filled delicate fabric pouches with crushed herbs, tied them with ribbons, and inhaled deeply — “The scent is so calming, it feels like we’ve packed China’s autumn into a bag,” said one student.
Meanwhile, at the Song Dynasty-style tea whisking (diancha) area, participants practiced the “Seven-Step Tea Whisking” method to create fine tea foam, then took part in tea art calligraphy, using tea spoons to write Chinese characters like “茶” (tea), “好” (good), and “剑” (sword) on the foam. “It’s both an art creation and a Chinese language exercise!” one student said proudly, showing off their “tea calligraphy.”
Snow-Skin Mooncakes, Hanfu, Chinese Songs, Dragon Dance, and Zhezhi: A Journey Through Time
The graceful flow of hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing) captivated many. Dressed in elegant robes, participants greeted each other with traditional bows, capturing timeless “Han and Tang moments” in photos.
Across the plaza, the colorful ribbon dragon dance drew waves of applause as performers leapt and twirled, bringing the dynamic energy of Chinese folk tradition to life. Nearby, long queues formed for mooncake making and zhezhi (paper crafts). Parents and children shaped mooncakes and shook glowing rabbit lanterns, filling the air with laughter and warmth.
Living Heritage, Shared Culture
More than a festive celebration, the event served as a meaningful dialogue across languages and cultures. As national-level intangible cultural heritage, Song Dynasty tea whisking and the ribbon dragon dance allowed Brazilian students to witness the delicacy of traditional Chinese artistry. Meanwhile, cuju — connected to football — bridged ancient China and modern Brazil through a familiar passion.
The integration of Chinese language learning and cultural experience — such as writing characters in tea foam — became a standout feature. “The Mid-Autumn event allows students to feel Chinese culture through play. This immersive experience is far more vivid and effective than classroom teaching,” said the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute.
At the end of the event, participants who collected all six activity stamps received handmade snow-skin mooncakes, while two lucky draws brought the festive atmosphere to a climax. The event not only infused UFMG’s campus with Chinese flair but also, through the beauty of intangible heritage, built bridges of friendship and mutual understanding between Chinese and Brazilian youth — writing a new, vibrant chapter in China–Brazil cultural exchange.
Notably, the mooncake ingredients, molds, and tea powder used in the event came from Chengwu County, Shandong Province — a place renowned as the “Hometown of Bole” and one of China’s thousand-year-old counties in Confucius’s home province. Across mountains and oceans, one moon connects hearts — though distant, those who gaze at it share the same gentle light.
