On the afternoon of September 25, the Mid-Autumn Mooncake DIY & Fun Fair, hosted by the Catering Service Center of the Logistics Service Management Office, was successfully held. The activity was jointly organized by Benbenxiong Happy Restaurant on the Jiaojiang Campus and the university’s Self-operated Food Court on the Linhai Campus. More than 50 students gathered in the cafeteria and took part in the activity, from kneading dough and pressing molds to baking and packaging. Experiencing the charm of traditional culture through immersive labor practice, they celebrated a warm Mid-Autumn Festival together.

At the event

The event kicked off in the students’ anticipation. A veteran pastry chef from the cafeteria served as the instructor. He first explained the origins of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the meanings of mooncakes, and then demonstrated the full set of procedures, including kneading dough, filling proportioning, rolling and wrapping, pressing mold and shaping, and baking temperature control. By showing how to tackle common beginner problems such as sticky dough, exposed filling, and unclear patterns, he ensured that students with no prior experience could quickly get started.

Making mooncakes under instruction

The hands-on session was the “highlight” of the event. The students worked in groups to weigh flour, knead dough, wrap filling, and press molds. They gradually became proficient, and mooncakes with exquisite patterns gradually filled the baking trays. The chefs walked around and promptly corrected operational problems. The students strictly followed standards, took ingredients as needed, and cleaned the tables as they went, experiencing the profound meaning that “every meal is hard-earned.” The purpose of the event is to cultivate virtue and wisdom through labor by making students exert themselves in a real labor setting, hone their skills, learn to cherish food and respect the fruits of labor.

Fun activities

While the mooncakes were baking, the waiting time was equally wonderful. Three fun games— ring toss, blindfolded gong striking, and using large chopsticks to pick up mooncakes—were held one after another, with students showing off their skills and laughter lingering without end. After clearing the games, the students could redeem a variety of prizes such as Mid-Autumn mystery boxes, handmade mooncakes, snacks and drinks, and creative stationery. The cafeteria was filled with a joyful festive atmosphere.

At around 4 p.m., the mooncakes came fresh out of the oven. The students put on gloves and packed the mooncakes they had made one by one into boxes. With Mid-Autumn stickers, they either kept them for themselves or gave them to classmates and teachers, sharing the “sweetness of labor” with those around them. “It is my first time making mooncakes myself, and only now do I realize that every step is not easy. The ones I made myself taste especially good”, a student said with a smile, holding mooncakes that were still warm.

Achievement display

One mooncake, one piece of craftsmanship; one labor class, one piece of cultural sentiment. This event has deeply integrated traditional festival culture, labor education, and logistics service education, which is a vivid practice of the university’s deepening of labor education and advancement of “the All-Staff, Whole-Process and All-Round Education”. A teacher in charge of the Logistics Service Management Office stated that in the future, they will continue to rely on the cafeteria as a base to carry out more labor practice activities that are perceptible, doable, and tasteable, making teachers and students inherit Chinese culture and forge moral character in daily life, and enabling labor education to take root and blossom on campus.