Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1928-12-21
INTERESTING STORY
OF THE ORIENT
C. P. o, Box No. 1894
Shanghai, China,
November q, 1928.

Here Games another letter from
the "bottom side of the world. ~
1t may be of interest to the read
ers of your most excellent paper.
We have recently had one of
China S chief holidays. For more
than a week | noticed signs of its
coming Great stacks of moon
cakes" in brightly colored pack
cts were shown in many stores
Beautiful lanterns We're seen along
the streets, Everything was in
such gay style it made on think of
a coming Christmas. II was the
Chinese Moon-feast and Mid-Au-
tumn Festival In their feasting it
recalled our Thanksgiving Day.
The Chinese 18th of the sth
month is called "Tsoong Tsiu =
Middle Autumn. On that day they
have theatricals before all the gods
in the temple, and burn the "Sha-
ung-teo incense bushel. This
bushel-like measure is made of in
cense sticks. The largest "bush-
els" sometimes measure as much
a twenty feet in diameter.
| In the middle of the "bushel" is
a long, large stick of incense made
| up of thousands of thin incense
sticks the size of vermicelli On
! the afternoon and night of this day
each family also burns an incense
bushel at home. These are small
er than the ones burned in the tenn
pie. On this day they who can af-
:! ford to eat moon-cakes and all
kinds of nice things, The incense
bushel is decorated with flags and
many-colored dragon-gates some
thing as children at home put can
dies ON their birthday cakes; but
the children of China take the flags
and dragon-gate decorations from
the bushel before it is burnt, and
have great delight in playing with
these, marching up and down the
streets.
\ | asked the Chinese why they
burn the incense bushel and eat
4 the moon-calse and worship the
moon with candles, incense and
\ food on this day. They answered
| that there are many reasons for it
and many stories are told about it.
One of the reasons is because
there is lady-god in the moon.
4 Her name is Zaung-noo. She is
said to be exceedingly beautiful.
1 From the beginning of time to the
end there never was nor will be one
as beautiful as she. She was once
upon time woman of this world,
but became displeased with her
4 husband and all the world and fled
to the moon. On this 18th day
the real story of why she fled is
acted out in the long theatrical
plays attended by throngs of peo-
pie. In ancient times on the 10Th
of the 9Th month when they burn-
ed the incense bushel the sweet fra.
GRANGE would go high up to the
moor goddess. She took pleasure
in it and manifested her approval
by coming near the earth riding on
a cloud and people could see her
beautiful face, But now men 5
hearts have become wicked, and
the world is full of sin, so the in
cense is not so pure as formerly
| ard it does not rise so high as to
reach the goddess in her palace and
so, not enjoying its fragrance. she
comes no more on the clouds; but
the people still offer incense aud
hope she will appear sometime.
They say that in the moon this
goddess has a most beautiful cas-
!. tie II IS called the Yuih- Koong'i
Moon Palace. Only one human
has ever seen its glories. Once,
during the Dong Dynasty, a Chin.
csc king called Ming Wong, by
the magic of a holy monk, was en-
z abled to mount up from the eartl
TO the Moon Castle TO hear Tn,
music aud see its beauty, He wai
allowed to stand outside for only
E q very few minutes. BY that tim,
the goddess knew that the kinl
Of man was there. She was very
angry at the monk for leading thl
king 10 her holy land Soon from
the Castle came most unpleasant
sounds. The monk understoo,
d that It was the queens giving ven
to her wrath and he quickly le,
the king back 10 earth.
You can see thus how full o.
superstition the Chinese are ant
I how much they need the Gospe
! and Jesus Christ that they may Sc,