The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four traditional Chinese festivals. When it comes to the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Chinese are accustomed to sending moon cakes to each other. How else does a local family in Shanghai spend the traditional Mid-Autumn Day?

Mr. Wang in Luwan District usually starts to prepare a feast for more than ten people around noon. "Taro, green soy beans, duck, steamed lotus root stuffed with sticky rice, and fermented glutinous rice balls are the main dishes for the feast. Without them, it is not a native Mid-Autumn Festival," Wang said.

Steamed lotus root stuffed with sticky rice

Before the start of the feast, a plate of green soy beans and a plate of steamed lotus root stuffed with sticky rice are on the table as appetizers. Although appetizers usually do not take much time to prepare, Mr. Wang must start preparing the steamed lotus root as early as noon. First, he needs to put the sticky rice into the lotus root. After that, the dish needs to be steamed for several hours together with some crystal sugar and sweet-scented osmanthus. Finally, the dish can be served after cooling. It is an indispensable dish for the Mid-Autumn Festival. "It is made of crops from the autumn season. Therefore, people usually taste this dish first," Wang said.