A renowned ancient Chinese poet Su Shi once said in his masterpiece on moon "although a thousand miles apart, we share the beauty of the same moon."
On Tuesday in Suva, capital of Fiji, about 100 Fijians and Chinese gathered together under the same theme of Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, enjoying amazing Chinese music and dances, delicious Chinese food and a wonderful exhibition of leaf etching (leaf curving) artworks.
The participants believed that the event helped promote the friendship between the two peoples.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, when Chinese celebrate family reunion and autumn harvest, is to fall on Oct. 4 this year.
In China, the Moon is never thought as a common planet as it embodies ancient Chinese tales and legends, and has profound cultural connotation. The Moon Festival has since become a symbol of reunion, gratitude, harmony, and implies the best wishes to everyone.
Tuesday's celebrations, organized by the China Culture Center in Fiji, have captivated the guests of both Fiji and China including Bernadette Rounds Ganilau, secretary of the Fiji-China Friendship Association, who has visited China for many times.
She told Xinhua that although China and Fiji are far away from each other, the two peoples' hearts and feelings are linked, so they have good reasons to celebrate the Moon Festival together.
"I love China and her beautiful and colorful culture, which is the amazing thing that Fijian people should know. Cultural exchange always helps people become friendly and better understand with each other. It helps get people closer and make them feel that they just come from the same family," she said.
"The Moon Festival brings the peoples of Fiji and China together. I want to thank the Chinese people in Fiji, they have contributed so much to our social and economic developments and they are continuing to do so. The Moon Festival gets us together, reminds us where we all come from and we all should go forward together," she added.
Like Ganilau, who regards China as her second hometown, a lot of Fijian guests told Xinhua that they love the Moon Festival by having an unforgettable day.
They said they fell in love with the wonderful performances by the artists from Chengdu, capital of China's Sichuan province, which were featured with singing, dancing, traditional Chinese musical instrument ensemble, puppet show, face-changing, and acrobatics.
In addition, for the Fijians, the 67 pieces of leaf-etching artworks on display is "amazing" as they have never seen such an artwork with a history of about 3,000 years.
They were shocked to the fact that the Chinese artists take leaves from trees or pick up the fallen leaves to create different artworks based on the natural shapes and the different veins of the leaves.
For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Fiji Zhang Ping gave his best wishes of the Moon Festival to Fijians and local Chinese when attending the celebrations.
"Fiji and China enjoy traditional friendship and the two peoples share the common pursuit of a better life. Gathering here together to celebrate the Chinese traditional festival is one of the best ways to strengthen the relationship between the two countries," he said.
Wang Gang, chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce in Fiji, told Xinhua that more and more Chinese companies have come to Fiji to seek business opportunities that will no doubt benefit the two countries.
"People thinks of their dear ones far away more than ever on festive occasions. This event is meaningful as it can help us send our thoughts to our families and friends far away, and gather together here with our Fijian friends to deepen our friendly relations," he said.
Deng Xianfu, director of China Cultural Center in Fiji, is very satisfied with the successful celebrations, saying that the cultural programs like this event have enriched Fijian people's life and promoted the mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.
The Fiji people also embrace the traditional Chinese festival as in downtown Suva, major shops like Prouds and Jacks have been promoting their products by wishing their customers "Happy Moon Festival "in both English and Chinese languages printed in their advertisements and leaflets.
Deng told Xinhua that banners from his center have appeared in one of Suva's main streets and Fiji's oldest hotel -- the Grand Pacific Hotel, saying "Happy Moon Festival."