月饼与嫦娥奔月的微妙联系

Bright Side Of The Mooncake:  A Subtle Allegory Concerning The Story Of Chang’e

月饼与嫦娥奔月的微妙联系

24 October 2007 at 10:05:04 UTC a bold new mission to the Moon was launched by the Chinese National Space Administration: a robotic spacecraft Chang’e-1 blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, Sichuan, atop a Long March 3A rocket, representing the first step in the Chinese ambition to land robotic explorers on the Moon. For many space enthusiasts, the Chinese space program's lunar flights have been thrilling to watch。 The first two (Chang’e-1 and Chang’e-2) circling the lunar orbit, Chang’e-3 and Chang’e-4 landing on the moon, as well as carrying the first Chinese moon rover named Yutu and Yutu-2. To cap it all off, the last stage of Chang’e space program is expected to launch as early as the end of 2019 to become China's first lunar sample return mission.

2007年10月24日10时05分04秒,中国国家航天局发射了一个大胆的登月任务:一艘名为“嫦娥一号”的月球探测卫星搭载在长征三号甲运载火箭上,从四川西昌卫星发射中心发射升空,代表着中国迈出了让机器探险家登陆月球的雄心壮志的第一步。对于许多航天爱好者来说,中国航天计划的登月飞行令人激动不已,前两次发射的探测卫星(嫦娥一号和嫦娥二号)都是绕着月球轨道飞行,而真正达成“登月”成就的嫦娥三号和嫦娥四号,更是因为搭载了(中国第一艘)名为“玉兔”的月球车和玉兔二号月球车而变得更为引人注目。而最重要的是,嫦娥航天计划的最后阶段预计最早将于2019年底发射升空,成为中国首个月球样本返回任务。

With that in mind, sometime in the not so distant future, we are going to come across another piece of news most likely mentioning Chang’e and Yutu. An expected question may have come across your mind on what these names stand for and why would these names be chosen for the most remarkable Chinese lunar program thus far. Nevertheless, for most Chinese people or those familiar with Chinese culture, the name choice is quite obvious. 

也就是说,在不久的将来,我们可能会看到另一条与嫦娥和玉兔有关的新闻。这时候你可能会想到一个问题:嫦娥和玉兔的名字有什么含义?为什么这些名字会被选为迄今为止最杰出的中国登月计划的名字?但其实,对于大多数中国人或熟悉中国文化的人来说,选择这个名字的原因是显而易见的。



According to ancient Chinese tradition (the plot of the legend varies greatly from source to source), Chang’e was the wife of Houyi, an archer who was once granted an elixir of immortality for his heroic acts. One day, when Houyi was not at home, Chang’e drank the elixir, which then made her fly upward towards the sky, but as she loved her husband and hoped to live close to him, she choose the Moon as her new home. Upon discovering that Chang’e was not going to come back, to relieve the sorrow of losing his wife, Yi set out various fruits and cakes that Chang'e liked in the garden underneath the Moon, and did so every 15th day of every 8th lunar month of each year, as that was the day when Chang’e was carried away to the Moon. As for Chang’e, she found herself all alone on the Moon, except for a Jade Rabbit who crafted the beverage for immortality all year round.

根据中国古代的传说(传说的情节根据不同版本可能略有出入),嫦娥是后羿的妻子,后羿是一位弓箭手,曾因其英勇行为而被授予长生不老药。有一次,后羿不在家,嫦娥喝下了长生不老药,而长生不老药让她飞向了天空,但由于她爱着丈夫,希望和丈夫离得得近一些,她选择了月亮作为住处。后羿发现嫦娥不能回来了,为了减轻妻子离开的悲痛,他就在每年农历的八月十五那天,在月下的花园里摆出嫦娥最喜欢吃的水果和糕点,因为那天是嫦娥奔月的日子。至于嫦娥,她发现自己只能独自一人居住在月球上,终生和一只捣药的玉兔为伴。



Mid-Autumn Festival, being one of the four major traditional Chinese holidays, is not the only occasion than revolves around a particular type of food. 

其实说实话,中秋节作为中国四大传统节日之一,并不是唯一的与某种特定的食物结缘的节日。

"Hunger breeds discontentment", as a traditional Chinese saying goes, and pretty much every traditional Chinese festival cannot be imagined without food. It is a pillar for emotional exchange that symbolizes expectations for an affluent future.

“民以食为天”是中国的一句传统俗语,而中国的传统节日更是离不开食物,饭桌可以说是一个情感交流的空间,食物则承载着人们对于丰衣足食的期盼和满足。

For instance, during Spring Festival, people would set a lavish array of food on the table ; Green dumplings with glutinous rice balls, that symbolize “reunion”  would be consumed during the Lantern Festival with family and friends; there is also a tradition of eating zongzi during Dragon Boat Festivaland as mentioned above, Mid-Autumn Festival would be unthinkable without enjoying the a romantic view of the moon  and eating mooncakes.

为了庆祝春节,人们会在最盛大的年夜饭上做一整桌好吃的。元宵节还要吃元宵,寓意“团团圆圆”。在清明时节有吃青团的传统,端午节则是享用粽子,而到了中秋,自然是要赏月、吃月饼。

However, there is a variety of mooncake styles and flavours. Below we are going to take a look at the most distinctive categories.

然而即使是月饼,不同的口味和种类的月饼却又不尽相同,让我们一起来看看,你最喜欢的月饼,属于哪一个种类吧。

Cantonese-style mooncake

广式月饼

Cantonese-style mooncakes originate from South China, particularly in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan provinces. Their core features include a thin brownish crust, rich filling, overall high-fat content, and a clearly outlined concave pattern. The taste can be sweet as well as salty. The fillings are represented by famous local specialities such as coconut, olive seeds, Cantonese sausage, pork, and salted eggs. Cantonese-style mooncakes are popular in both domestic and international food markets due to the large variety of flavours, appealing design, and portability.

广式月饼流行于中国南方地区,特别是广东、广西、海南等地。其主要特点是重油,皮薄、馅多,外皮棕红有光,并有清晰、凹凸的图案。口味甜咸皆宜,馅料多选用当地著名特产,如椰丝、橄榄仁、广式香肠、叉烧肉、咸蛋等。广式月饼皮薄馅多,花色繁多,不易破碎,也易于保藏,因此在国内和国际的食品市场上深受欢迎。

Su-style mooncake

苏式月饼

Su-style mooncakes originate from Suzhou and are favoured by the people of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The Su-style mooncake highly concentrates on the process of making a flaky dough so that the crust layer is very soft and crisp while also gaining a delightful colour. As with the Cantonese style mooncake, both sweet and salty kinds are made. Thesweet variants are commonly stuffed with roses, fruits, and bean paste, and the salty stuffing includes fresh meat and shrimps.

苏式月饼源于苏州,属于苏式糕点,被江浙地区的人民喜爱。苏式月饼制作工艺中包括了制酥、包酥等步骤,因而其皮层十分酥松,色泽美观,口感酥脆。花色品种分甜、咸,甜月饼有玫瑰、百果、豆沙等品种,咸月饼有鲜肉、虾仁等。

  Beijing-style mooncake 

京式月饼

Beijing-style moon cakes originate from Beijing, Tianjin and the surrounding areas, and are sold mainly in the north. Their main features include moderate sweetness, heavy use of sesame oil, a crispy crust and a soft filling. Compared to the Su-style mooncake, the skin of the Beijing-style moon cake is thicker and more crumbly. The styles of Beijing-style mooncakes are also quite varied, but they are most commonly made with a five-nut filling.

京式月饼起源于京津及周边地区,在北方有一定市场。其主要特点是甜度及皮馅比适中,重用麻油,口味清甜,口感脆松。相比于苏式月饼,京式月饼的外皮更厚更脆。京式月饼的种类也比较多,但最常见的还是五仁馅的。

Teochew-Style mooncake

潮式月饼

The Teochew-Style mooncake is a traditional flat, white and crispy cake, mostly sweet, coming from the Chaoshan area in Guangdong Province. There are two main types of these mooncakes: one, called Laobing, which is mixed with lard; and the other, called Qingyoubing, which is mixed with peanut oil.

潮式月饼是广东省潮汕地区传统糕类名点。潮式月饼饼身较扁,饼皮洁白,入口香酥。最为传统的潮式月饼主要有二种:一种拌猪油称作朥饼;一种拌花生油称作清油饼。口味上以甜口居多。

 Yunnan-Style moon cake

滇式月饼

Yunnan-Style mooncakes originated and are mainly popular in Yunnan province and the surrounding areas. The distinctive feature is their filling, which uses Yunnan speciality ham contributing to their unique ham-like scent.

滇式月饼主要起源并流行于云南及周边地区,最大的特点就是馅料采用了云南特产的火腿,饼皮疏松,馅料咸甜适口,有独特的滇式火腿香味。

In addition to these traditional mooncake types, some new trends, such as snowy mooncakes, ice cream mooncakes, fruit and vegetable mooncakes, have arisen recently. 

除了这些传统的月饼种类之外,越来越多的新式月饼也逐渐被大家熟知,如冰皮月饼、冰淇淋月饼、果蔬月饼等等。



The shape of a traditional Chinese mooncake is round, just like the full moon during Mid-Autumn Festival – the period when it is the biggest and roundest in the year, and traditionally the whole family would come together to share this delicacy, or considering that it is not always possible due to the hectic lifestyles of many people, mooncake exchanges between relatives, friends and colleagues comprise an inevitable part of the celebration. With the Mid-Autumn Festival drawing closer, we highly recommend to take your time, and add variety to your mooncake choice so that you can give the ones you care for a chance to enjoy the full spectrum of this delightful treat!

月饼的形状是圆的,就像中秋节的满月一样,按照传统,全家人都应该聚在一起共享这份节日的愉快,但这种团聚事实上有时候是难以实现的。由于生活方式发生改变,在亲戚朋友和工作伙伴之间通过交换月饼来表达祝福已经逐渐演变成庆祝节日的另一种方式。因此在中秋节的来临之际,您可以精心挑选美味好看的月饼送给自己关心在意的人,在这美好的中秋佳节共享这份喜悦!