By tf-lawyer.com **Title: Unveiling the Ritual Significance of the Moonlight Horse During the Mid-Autumn Festival**
**— An Interview with Professor Li Mingjie from East China Normal University**
**By Jin Xu, China News Service**
“Moon Worship” is a cornerstone of traditional Chinese customs, richly evident in the literature surrounding Mid-Autumn Festival practices during the Ming and Qing dynasties in Beijing. In ancient times, families would offer fruits in their courtyards at moonrise to honor the Moonlight Horse, seeking blessings for their loved ones. Following these rituals, families would come together to celebrate the festival joyfully.
What is the Moonlight Horse? How does it reflect the cultural reverence for the moon in traditional Chinese beliefs? And what influence does it have on modern celebrations of the Mid-Autumn Festival? In an exclusive interview with China News Service, Professor Li Mingjie from the Folklore Institute at East China Normal University shared his insights, drawing from the unique “Chinese Paper Gods” collection found at Columbia University’s East Asian Library.
**China News Service Reporter:** Why does Columbia University house the “Chinese Paper Gods” collection? Are there any paper deities linked to the Mid-Autumn Festival?
**Li Mingjie:** The term “Paper Gods” translates to various folk paper effigies in China. The collection at Columbia, donated by Mrs. Anne Swann Goodrich, contains over 200 items she acquired from the Renhe Paper Shop in Beijing in 1931. Mrs. Goodrich took great care in documenting each piece, noting its context, when it was made, and how it was used. This focused and comprehensive collection provides vital historical insight into folk beliefs and life in Beijing during the 1930s.
Within these paper offerings, paper horses and Door Gods fall under the umbrella of New Year paintings, created by folk artisans based on cultural customs and worship practices. According to folklore expert Wang Shucun, the imagery of paper horses evolved from ancient rituals that required a horse for ascending to the heavens. Nowadays, various paper images burned after offerings are commonly referred to as “paper horses.” As lifestyles have changed, these figures have gradually receded from use, leaving only their remnants preserved as intangible cultural heritage through woodblock New Year paintings.
Among the different variations of paper horses, there is a specific group created for honoring natural deities, particularly the moon goddess during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Given their ephemeral nature, paper horses are often discarded post-ceremony, making systematic historical documentation uncommon. This makes Columbia’s “Chinese Paper Gods” collection a distinctive repository.
**China News Service Reporter:** How does the creation of the Moonlight Horse relate to moon worship? Are there different styles across regions?
**Li Mingjie:** The crafting of Moonlight Horses utilizes traditional folk woodblock printing techniques, typically with pear or jujube wood. While most paper horses are monochromatic, considerable effort is often dedicated to creating vibrant and intricate Moonlight Horses to highlight the festival’s significance.
The Moonlight Horse serves as a complex symbolic figure. In Beijing, it usually has a segmented design, featuring the “Palace of Eternal Cold” as a crucial component. The inner circle depicts the moon with the Jade Rabbit making medicinal concoctions, serving as a central motif. Surrounding this are colorful clouds, waves, and mountains that suggest the moon deity’s ascension and descent. Additional divine figures, like the Moon Bodhisattva or Guanyin, enrich the imagery, embodying the grandeur of the Palace and the intricate narratives of moon worship embedded in the Mid-Autumn Festival, merging Taoist, Buddhist, and folk beliefs.
Regional variations reflect unique characteristics in Moonlight Horses. In Beijing, the Palace remains a fixed motif, surrounded by assorted deities, with the rabbit image prominently featured. In contrast, Hebei and Inner Mongolia emphasize the legend of Chang’e’s moon journey, making her the focal point. In Suzhou, the Moonlight Horses often depict the narrative of “Emperor Tang’s Journey to the Moon Palace,” symbolizing marital harmony and family flourishing.
**China News Service Reporter:** What rituals accompany the worship of the Moonlight Horse in Beijing? How do people’s wishes impact its presentation?
**Li Mingjie:** The “Moon Goddess” oversees tides and agriculture and is cherished as a harvest protector. The Mid-Autumn Festival coincides with the autumn harvest, prompting people to offer high-quality produce in gratitude to nature. They provide items favored by the rabbit, such as beans, which symbolize the lotus seat of the moon goddess, alongside cockscombs, representing immortality.
The imagery of the Moonlight Horse dictates both mandatory and optional offerings and their arrangement during worship. The essential act of kneeling and making wishes is primarily directed toward the Moonlight Horse, creating a reflective moment for personal hopes. It’s as if the divine is observing and ready to listen, demanding sincerity in expressing one’s wishes.
The “invitation” of the paper horse becomes a vital aspect, establishing an immediate connection between the worshipper and the divine. During the Mid-Autumn season, displaying the Moonlight Horse transforms everyday spaces into makeshift altars. The dimensions of the Moonlight Horses can vary according to the sacredness of the space, with hanging them affirming the makeshift altar’s existence, and their subsequent burning signifying the ritual’s conclusion, restoring the dynamics of daily life before sharing mooncakes and offerings.
Scholar Xiao Fang noted that during the Ming and Qing eras, the lyrical and mythical traditions surrounding moon appreciation diminished in favor of practical worship and secular sentiments. The Moonlight Horse similarly reflects the changing societal values and aesthetics. For instance, incorporating the God of Wealth in family reunions during the festival symbolizes aspirations for earthly happiness, while including the God of War underscores honesty in business.
**China News Service Reporter:** While the Moonlight Horse seems to be fading from public consciousness, what impact has it had on the way people celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival?
**Li Mingjie:** The “invitation of the Moonlight Horse” was a vital aspect of the Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing during the 1930s, manifesting the community’s desire to employ folk rituals for protection against misfortune and to affirm good fortune, all while expressing sincere devotion in hopes of divine blessings and comfort.
Although many today may not recognize what a Moonlight Horse is, elements associated with it have endured in various Mid-Autumn practices. Images of the moon, Chang’e, and the Jade Rabbit have made their way onto mooncake molds and boxes, evolving into popular decorative motifs. Mooncakes and fruits continue to be the most beloved foods and gifts during the festivities. Research in regions like Qinghai and Gansu in 2022 revealed that the practice of slicing watermelons or melons into lotus petal shapes during moon worship still exists, even if not everyone identifies it as a nod to the Moon Bodhisattva’s lotus seat. The essence of the festival—reverence for nature and familial values—remains steadfast despite shifts in lifestyle and cultural perspectives.
**China News Service Reporter:** In your view, how does researching and interpreting the Moonlight Horse in Columbia’s collection provide insights into Chinese folk beliefs, cultural memory, and the exchange of civilizations?
**Li Mingjie:** Examining the Moonlight Horse alongside the paper horse as a cultural symbol allows us to reconstruct the festival’s significance and re-evaluate its historical impact. This approach sheds light on the connections between folk beliefs and cultural memory, as well as the role these beliefs play in the spiritual lives and identities of the Chinese people.
Artistic products stemming from folk rituals signify the meaning of the deities worshipped or articulate the spiritual yearnings of the worshippers, acting as conduits for values. As folk ritual practices decline, the Moonlight Horse shifts from a cultural artifact to a piece of heritage, serving as historical evidence of the era’s values and worldviews—assisting individuals in comprehending what to believe and how to observe those beliefs, rather than merely serving decorative purposes. In contemporary contexts, the social functions and enduring values tied to the festival continue to resonate within Chinese communities abroad, where family reunions during the Mid-Autumn Festival symbolize hopes for harmony and abundance, echoing through generations.
Chinese folkloric festivals, including the Mid-Autumn Festival, continue to thrive and be passed down within overseas Chinese communities while being embraced by other ethnic groups. The widespread sharing of these cultural artifacts through modern interactions promotes dialogues that enhance mutual understanding across diverse civilizations.
