Two lovers torn apart by forbidden love: one, a woman, forced to live on the moon — the other, a man, back on Earth, counting the days until he can see his love again.

Under the light of the full moon, a flock of birds flew down and formed a bridge from the moon to the Earth to bring the two together.

On Sept. 30, the Chinese Student and Scholar Association’s mid-autumn festival, or “Moon Gala,” commemorated their reunion this year, celebrating the unification of the Chinese community as a family. The Moon Gala was held at the Foellinger Auditorium from 6-9 p.m. This year, the Moon Gala attracted nearly 1,500 guests from the University’s Chinese population and beyond. 

Emma He, one of the Moon Gala directors, described the mid-autumn festival as the “Thanksgiving” in China — a festival where a family is supposed to renew union, celebrate and hang out. He explained that it’s good to take apart all the work and things you’re doing outside of family.

He also described the goal of Moon Gala as forming a family for Chinese international students, creating a strong sense of community for them.

“(They are) why we made the Moon Gala really official and really influential,” He said. “They don’t have that part of the family aspect anymore, but we want to be there and make sure that they are still part of some family where they can feel included.”

He also said those invited were a lot of local Chinese people, like Chinese professors and Chinese businesses — a lot of Chinese communities, in general, were included to make sure there’s an established relationship among them, especially if they were to feel homesick.

The gala, nearly all in Mandarin Chinese, featured a variety of Chinese talents, including vocal and dance groups, comedic storytelling, the Jasmine Field Orchestra and a magic show.

Prominent themes, among the performances, were love and reuniting. Even the comedic acts revolved around love; many acts also included jokes about corn.

“They keep calling Illinois ‘cornfield land,’” said Angela Xu, audience member and sophomore in LAS.

Another audience member, Daniel Lee, sophomore in LAS, noted that while some elements of the show could be viewed as “traditional,” the show was made up of many modern pieces.

“It boasted a good variety of acts that was much more comedic than expected,” Lee said.

One of the acts, “Champaign Love Story,” added a modern twist to the classic fairy tale, Cinderella. It followed a girl who, instead of leaving a shoe at the ball, threw her phone at the prince. The ending stayed positive, showing the two meeting again, as a classic Asian drama love song played overhead.

Another performance, “Xiangbin,” featured a singing quartet accompanied by a music video, showing a couple who met at the University and later found each other again after graduation.

ImagiNation, an urban “hip hop dance crew,” previously under the Chinese Student and Scholar Association as “ImaginAsian,” performed a set of modern dances at Moon Gala titled “Moon Dancing.”

Angel Chi, ImagiNation president, recounted the organization’s past, as well as the origin behind the festival.

“The lovers — this is the one time when they meet up every year — it celebrates reunion,” Chi said. “The incorporation of Chinese culture is what makes the Moon Gala very special.”

The Jasmine Field Orchestra, which performed a set titled “The Love Songs,” had a number of traditional Chinese instruments under their belt, including the pipa, which produces the vibrating sound often associated with traditional Chinese music, and the guqin, an ancient seven-stringed instrument used to produce with lower tones.

One of He’s responsibilities with the business and marketing side of the show was overseeing the raffles. A number of lucky attendees won prizes including gift cards to various Chinese-owned local businesses, food certificates, a trip to Las Vegas and an iPhone X.

In the gift bags for each audience member were flyers and coupons from sponsors, which were not complete without a small snack fortune cookie and almond cookie in celebration of autumn.

“Dew turns into frost after tonight,” said one of the Gala’s hosts, as they wished the audience a “Happy Moon Festival.”

He said the moon’s significance in the Moon Gala is because the full moon around this time of year symbolizes the feeling of being complete as well as being a part of each other. The Chinese Student and Scholar Association and the Moon Gala have a long history together, which also contributes to the significance of the Gala.

“Ever since our organization was founded, we’ve had (the Moon Gala). It’s a traditional thing; all the Chinese people come to us about the event,” He said. “It’s always good to have something to do when family comes back together.”