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Mid-Autumn Festival is a major holiday celebrated in China and other East Asian and Southeast Asian countries on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, that day falls on Friday, September 29.

Families will celebrate by displaying lanterns, moon-gazing, and savoring mooncakes. Many Chinatowns across the United States will hold their own celebrations during this time. Here are some ways to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival in your local Chinatown:

• Buy mooncakes at local Chinatown bakeries
• Visit local markets and street vendors to buy groceries for dinner with your family and friends
• Shop for festive lanterns, decorate and write your wishes on them
• Enjoy osmanthus tea from local teahouses, along with fresh fruits like pomelos and persimmons

Holidays can be moments of celebration, reflection, and solidarity. Learn about the history of your local Chinatown and consider signing our petition today to join other allies in committing to the cultural preservation of America’s Chinatowns for future generations, so their vibrant pasts can remain at the heart of their thriving and prosperous futures.

Together, we can mobilize preservation action to support America’s Chinatowns for future generations.

Listen to this conversation with award-winning cookbook author, culinary historian, and Chinatown activist Grace Young about taking action to support historic Chinatowns. Learn about how Grace became a fierce advocate and the unofficial voice for saving Chinatowns. From PastForward 2022.

Speakers:

• Grace young, cookbook author, culinary historian and Chinatown activist
• Di Gao, senior director of research and development, National Trust for Historic Preservation

This session explores different approaches to cultural preservation in American Chinatowns. Historic Chinatowns are increasingly facing a variety of pressures that threaten the ecosystems that sustain Chinatown communities and the ability to uphold Chinatown heritage for future generations. Chinatowns are situated in vastly different physical, regulatory, and development contexts. In these contexts, the solutions to cultural preservation are equally as diverse. Learn how Chinatowns are exploring and implementing place-based strategies and policies to preserve Chinatowns for future generations while centering community priorities in their visions for the future. (From PastForward 2022)

Speakers:

• Di Gao, National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Jenn Low, Openbox, The Urban Studio and the 1882 Foundation
• Ted Gong, The 1882 Foundation