Mid-Autumn Festival originated in ancient times, popularized in Han Dynasty, shaped in the early years of Tang Dynasty, prevailed in Song Dynasty, and became one of the traditional festivals in China in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" first appeared in the records of Zhou Li. There are two theories about the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival.

The first is that the Mid-Autumn Festival originated from the sacrificial activities of ancient emperors: It is recorded in the Book of Rites that "the son of heaven worships the sun in spring and the moon in autumn". "Evening Moon" is an ancient emperor worshiping the moon. This shows that there were examples of emperors worshiping the moon as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. The second argument is that the Mid-Autumn Festival is related to agricultural production: autumn is the harvest season. Mid-Autumn Festival in August, all kinds of crops are ripe, and people have a bumper harvest of crops and fruits. In order to celebrate the joy of Mid-Autumn Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival is regarded as a festival. In the Tang Dynasty, agriculture, commerce and handicrafts developed unprecedentedly, which greatly promoted the progress of social, political and economic systems. During this period, the national strength was strong, and there was a joyful scene of singing and dancing. These conditions have played a cumulative role in shaping the Mid-Autumn Festival. It also involves a short story. According to legend, on August 15th, Li Xuanzong was already in the fairy class. At that time, he was visiting the Moon Palace, from which he saw that the country he ruled was so prosperous. It occurred to me that my birthday was August 5th. I vaguely feel that we should combine the two to form a program to celebrate ourselves. This formed the initial state of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Later, with the integration of the two, August 15th was officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival.

In the Song Dynasty, the Mid-Autumn Festival went from the upper class to the public, and the whole people reveled. This is because the maturity of papermaking and printing technology has generally improved people's cultural level, and knowledge related to the Mid-Autumn Festival has been widely spread. At that time, Goulan and Washe were open. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, people could drink and entertain themselves, which made it an important day.

And according to legend, even the emperor will come out to play on the Mid-Autumn Festival. Even if the emperor comes out to play, it will naturally drive the lower class. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival has become an important festival for national carnival in this period.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is recorded in the literary works of the Song Dynasty, such as Dream of China in Tokyo, Dream of Liang, Talk of Drunken Man, etc.

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, due to the relationship between the times and the skill factors in society, coupled with the multiplicity of entertainment methods, the secular interest was strong. Mid-Autumn Festival began to become a folk festival alongside Dragon Boat Festival and Spring Festival.

In the 75th and 76th chapters of A Dream of Red Mansions, there are records about the Mid-Autumn Festival. The basic introduction is that on the 15th of August, the Rongguogongfu beat drums and enjoyed flowers in the mid-autumn night, drank and listened to flutes and connected sentences under the moon.

Until today, it has become an indispensable festival. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people get together with their families, eat moon cakes, drink osmanthus wine, sit and watch the moon, and nag at home.