Look: Dubai Celebrates Chinese Mooncake Festival With Hoop Acrobatics, Foot Juggling

Under the glittering lights of Dubai, a night of culture and celebration unfolded as the Chinese community marked two of its cherished occasions: the Chinese National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Acrobats soared through hoops, contortionists twisted into towers and dancers performed the traditional art of foot juggling, setting the tone for an evening that blended dazzling performances with centuries-old traditions.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in Mainland China and other parts of East Asia such as Singapore and Malaysia. Also known as the Mooncake festival, it is one of the largest festivals in the Asian country and dates to 3,000 years, where people would worship the moon. In current times, it is a special occasion to mark the gathering of families and showing gratitude.

The special event was attended by members of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the deputy director Abdulla Al Qaseer, as well as other members of consulates based in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

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During the event, Ou Boqian, the general consul, announced a new direct flight path from Dubai to the Northwestern city of Ürümqi in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, starting on September 26. She reiterated the support that the UAE and China have with each other, with this year marking 41 years of diplomatic relations.

“In the field of trade and investment, the cooperation between the two countries has continued to deepen,” she said in the opening speech.“In the first half of this year, the bilateral trade reached $50.6 billion, an increase of 1 per cent. China's direct investment in the Arab world reached $11.24 billion, an increase of 42.66 per cent.”

Watch a video of the hoop acrobatics performance here:

Ancient arts and crafts

Cindy Zou, a Chinese artist, dancer, and founder of her own art centre, shared several of her country's ancient handicrafts with guests. Visitors could delve into the art of stone rubbing, an ancient technique that involves intricate steps of placing a piece of paper on top of a block of stone and carefully using ink to inscribe a message on it. Zou tells Khaleej Times that sometimes this art is used for marriage certificates and other formal documents.

She also detailed the art of incense-making. People in ancient China would gather herbs and fashion them into accessories, either as beads to wear as a necklace or bracelet or even hung from a belt. These were not only fashion statements, she said, but would also be swallowed for their medicinal benefits during long, tiring journeys when they would fall sick.

Other handicrafts included the Chinese sachet, also a part of incense art, which was thought to bring good luck. It was also used to express romantic interest.“In ancient times, if a girl and a boy like each other, the girl will make a very nice bag for the boy, which means, I like you. We don't say that, but we show this,” Zou said.

Blending tradition with diplomacy, the joyful celebration not only honoured centuries-old customs but also reflected the growing partnership between China and the UAE, marking another step in their 41 years of relations.

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