During the day of Mid-Autumn, people prepare hearty food and other offerings for their ancestors. ZHANG CUNLI/FOR CHINA DAILY

New options for traditional festival

Family reunions for the Mid-Autumn Festival can be a greater challenge for many, compared with Lin.

Chen Yannan, a native of Quanzhou in Southeast China's Fujian province, who now works for a Beijing-based media firm, says she had to give up going home due to the long distance.

It would take Chen, 23, almost a day to get home and would cost her more than a 1,000 yuan ($150). Given that she has just started her career last year and has to tackle the high living costs in the capital, it is an expense which she can ill afford.

"It's only a three-day break. I don't think it's a good idea to spend only one day at home but two days on the road," Chen explains.

Instead, Chen will spend this Midautumn holiday with her visiting friend, and they plan to dine together at a restaurant to celebrate the occasion.

"While our parents' generation sticks to the traditional practice of cooking and eating at home during the festival, we young people prefer to eat out. It's more convenient, and we can try to find some delicious and novel dishes," says Chen.

According to Chen, quite a few of her friends choose to stay, too, to avoid the hassle and cost of returning home.

However, Chen admits that she will still try to get the symbolic food that is associated with the specific festivals, such as mooncake in this instance, wherever she is.

"Having the traditional food on such occasions helps to assuage my homesickness a little when I think of my parents are also having the same food," Chen says.

Nowadays, more people in the cities tend to celebrate the festival with friends, dining out or taking short trips together.

Instead of appreciating the full moon, watching the Mid-Autumn Festival galas on TV are a popular form of recreation for the festival among younger people. Equally, electronic greeting cards and digital red packets have started to usurp mooncakes as the gift du jour.