The Custom of Eating Mooncakes
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During the Yuan Dynasty, many people suffered under the rule of the Mongols. Zhu Yuan-zhang decided to lead his army against the Mongols, but his plans failed because he could not send messages to his people who were living inside the city.
Zhu Yuan-zhang said,“I cannot succeed alone. It would be much easier to defeat the Mongols if my people could help me from within the city walls.” His advisor Liu Bo-wen thought of an idea. He told Zhu Yuan-zhang,“Just hide the message inside mooncakes, and let everyone bring home a mooncake. Then, all of your people will get your message.”
Zhu Yuan-zhang ordered his men to hide this message inside the mooncakes:“Revolt on the night of 15 August”to make sure everyone got a mooncake, Liu Bo-wen spread this rumor:“There will be a catastrophe this winter, but if you eat mooncakes, you can prevent it and be safe. So, the people who ate the mooncakes got the hidden message, and slowly, everyone in the city got the message. On the night of 15 August, the people revolted and defeated the Mongols.
After that, people would eat mooncakes on 15 August to celebrate the victory of their ancestors. This is how the custom of eating mooncakes came to be passed down for generations.
