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People all over China Saturday evening (September 21) celebrated the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, an occasion for reunion of family and friends.

Residents from Xiamen of the Chinese mainland and Jinmen of Taiwan, for the first time in 53 years, gathered together at sea at 9:00 p.m. (Beijing Time), as part of nationwide festive celebrations.

They exchanged moon cakes, the traditional sweet delicacy served during the festival, and other gifts. Li Zhufeng, head of Jinmen, said, "Xiamen and Jinmen share brotherly love, the same expectations and feelings, and are finally reunified tonight as the moon becomes full."

Poetry was recited and songs were sung, and they promised to meet on next Mid-Autumn Festival before saying good-bye to each other and heading home. The get-together lasted about 35 minutes.

The moon turns full on the 15th day of eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, or September 21 this year, and on this special day, Chinese people have since ancient times associated the full moon with family reunions.

Artists from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan served local residents and Chinese and foreign visitors at a grand party in scenic Guilin City, which was broadcast live by the Central China Television to 106 countries and regions across the world.

In Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, about 10,000 people toured the Pearl River by boat, eating moon cakes and watching the full moon.

Some residents in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province in southwest China, bathed themselves in hot spring, while some sent short messages to each other by means of cell phones, to celebrate the festival.