"What does the Autumn Moon Festival mean, anyway?" I asked Mr. Johnson.

"Do you want to know the story behind it, is that it?" he smiled.

"Exactly. People eat moon cakes, have parties, burn incense, what's it all about?"

"The moon is a beautiful woman." Mr. Johnson stood and stretched, and then continued painting glyphs on the coarse, beige stencil paper. "And the earth, that is the boy. He loves the girl, but she is always circling, just out of reach."

I frowned. "That's it? It's just a moon and earth thing?"

"You are missing the point. It's the balance between them that allows space for love. It's like yin and yang. People focus on the black and the white, and miss the point. Yin-yang is about balance and harmony. The line between is the ultimate meaning of the symbol."

"So the meaning of the Moon Festival is balance and harmony?" I asked.

"Exactly."