Decline of the Yuan Dynasty.
After 3 centuries of rule, the Mongolian government in China became corrupt and
the economy took a downturn. Years of poor harvests led to severe famine, the
nobles exploited the peasants mercilessly in their greed, causing great suffering
among the common people. It was a time of simmering unrest, a period where the
people started to find courage and determination in the midst of their suffering
to strain against the harsh, unyielding yoke of their Mongolian masters.
(Scene 6) Hope stirs anew
The Mongolians treated their Chinese subjects harshly, for fear of uprising. As
the Mid-Autumn Festival drew close, the Chinese had a flash of inspiration - they
began inserting little notes into the traditional mooncakes baked specially for
the celebration, messages that called for an organised and concerted rebellion.
These mooncakes were widely distributed to the common people, and within them,
the dates, times and pre-arranged signals with which the Chinese could finally
regain their freedom after so many centuries of relentless foreign oppression.
Hope stirred anew in the people's hearts. Spirits revived. Silently, they bade
their time.
(Scene 7) To battle!
1429 A.D. Night of the Mid-Autunn Festival
The unsuspecting Mongolians held banquets in their palaces, celebrating the Festival
amidst lavish entertainment and sumptious feasts. Exotic mooncakes of every imaginable
variety were served, but never would the Mongolian rulers have guessed that this
unique dessert of humble origins would play such a key role in their downfall...
(Scene 8) Freedom!
The people of China, spurred on by the messages hidden in the mooncakes, galvanized
into action. Led by Zhu1 Yuan2 Zhang1, a legendary folk hero, they fell upon the
Mongolians, re-conquering cities throughout China and eventually driving the invaders
back to their northern plains. In the month of August on the following year, the
Yuan Dynasty fell.
Since then, mooncakes have been eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival as a
celebration of the successful rebellion.
Disclaimer: Although the events in this story are not purely fictitious, the
protrayal of Mongolians as the bad guys was written solely for entertainment purposes.
History always paints the losers in a bad light so one cannot pin the entire blame
on them for the people's sufferings. Any resemblance to persons living or dead
is definitely unintentional. :)
H3 1999