Memories of Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing at McDonald's

It’s been a long time since I had the chance to enjoy a meal at (Mcdonald’s) in Beijing, perhaps during the autumn moonlit nights of the . There weren’t many people around, just a few groups of students playing online games together. Thinking about my friends abroad who are with their families and loved ones celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival while I am alone in this bustling city, sitting at with a meal on me, I don’t feel lonely at all. Something strange makes me slightly free yet miss the companionship.

I remember when I first came to study in Beijing during my university years, I often stayed up late in the library and sometimes went out by myself to have a meal at (again, I felt that the buns with chicken on toast were addictive for me). Back in our small county before moving to Beijing, there was no . It seemed like I had my first taste of it only when I arrived in Beijing. The first time I went, everything looked new and exciting, though I got used to it after going several times. But then I realized that because I came often, I had grown somewhat familiar with the city as an adult, and felt a bit strange about being a student. It was as if I had passed some kind of rite of passage when I did so. Back then, I truly felt young!

I remember that coming later in the evening, I would see some odd-looking people. While still a student, I occasionally observed them and imagined myself becoming like themno longer a student but part of society. Although I felt a sense of freedom upon imagining this, it seemed like a cool breeze was blowing through my rigid world from an open door.

Now, looking back on the scenes from ten years ago, I still remember the faint streetlights, the empty streets, and the clear, dry nightsseeming to overlap with now in some mysterious way. Without riding a bike for so long, I took out my legs and walked through the bustling streets, with the full moon hanging on an otherwise empty night sky. For the first time in years, I felt happy. I had always preferred the moon over the sun growing things. Though the sun gave life to everything, it was the moon that touched us so closely from such a close distance during countless nights facing it when I thought about iteach time, I would take myself out of this intense life and slowly think about where exactly I was living my life. I realized that in elementary school, middle school, and college, all those memories seemed to come back, but after getting a PhD abroad, I had no more thoughts like these, though the period when I thought about this was actually the closest now. But then it felt so far away.

In the last two weeks here in Beijing, there has been rain every daya fall from finger to finger seeping in coldness through my body as I got dressed warm. Knowing that everyone around me also put on fall clothing, I felt nice. The streetlights on the night seemed to glow more in the damp night air. Their light made mine flicker faintly, a weak yet clear glow. Fall is like a river.

As autumn deepens, the nights grow colder quickly, and we all need to take care of our health as well.