Under the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival, people across the world share the same moonlight. The bright moon, which evokes a deep sense of homesickness among countless Chinese people, also illuminated Indonesia along the equator. Here, three CHN Energy companies in Indonesia celebrated the festival in their own ways, turning the shared longing for reunion into unique and heartwarming experiences.
SGPJB: sharing hometown flavors over tea
On Sept. 24, on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, employees of SGPJB gathered in the plant cafeteria for a tea gathering themed “Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival Together”. Teng Yue, director of the Administration and Human Resources Department, introduced the Mid-Autumn Festival customs to Indonesian colleagues. “Mooncakes are round because they symbolize reunion. No matter where you are, you should find a way to return home on this day.” His words allowed Indonesian employees, who had previously known the Chinese characters for “Mid-Autumn Festival” only on paper, to experience the deep emotions behind the festival.
SGPJB's Chinese and Indonesian employees gather to share mooncakes.
As mooncakes were passed around, they sparked another conversation about familiar flavors. Some employees talked about traditional soft and chewy cakes enjoyed during Eid in their hometowns, saying, “Like mooncakes, they are a taste of reunion.” Others laughed and said that mooncakes were popular among their relatives and friends, and that their families would ask every year, “Will the company give out mooncakes this year?” An Indonesian employee who had studied in Nanjing recalled the Chinese friends he made there and said with emotion that the friendship was continuing at the plant in Java. “Today, we are celebrating as one family—a big family here in Indonesia.”
Lion: making Mid-Autumn flavors by hand
On Sept. 25, PT. Shenhua Guohua Lion Power Indonesia transformed its plant cafeteria into a lively “mooncake workshop”. The company prepared a variety of fillings, including pineapple, mixed nuts, red bean paste, and lotus seed paste with salted egg yolk, and invited Chinese and Indonesian employees to work together to knead the dough, fill the mooncakes and press them into molds. Employees trying their hand at mooncake-making for the first time repeatedly worked out the techniques, while experienced colleagues patiently offered advice. The cafeteria was filled with the gentle sounds of kneading dough and waves of laughter.
Chinese and Indonesian employees make mooncakes by hand.
After the mooncakes were baked, the employees gathered around lantern riddles hanging in the cafeteria. The riddles incorporated both Mid-Autumn Festival traditions and knowledge related to safe power plant operations, and those who solved them could win Indonesian-themed mystery box surprises. As night fell, charcoal fires burned for a barbecue, with skewers of beef and mutton served alongside coconut-shell bowls and refrigerator magnets. Different languages mingled amid the lively atmosphere, turning everyday workplace conversations into relaxed exchanges among friends.
Chinese and Indonesian employees solve lantern riddles.
GH EMM: areunion evening over dinner
On the evening of Sept. 25, the Chinese restaurant at PT. GH EMM Indonesia hosted a gathering themed “Full Moon, Full Reunion: One Family in GH EMM”. Upon arrival, employees were randomly assigned to different tables so that Chinese and Indonesian colleagues from different departments could sit together and chat. A buffet dinner featuring mooncakes and fruit was accompanied by familiar melodies performed by the employee band. Representatives of Chinese and Indonesian employees from different departments also rehearsed and performed a Chinese-language chorus of A Family That Loves Each Other, bringing the meaning of one family into the hearts of everyone present.
Chinese and Indonesian employees of PT. GH EMM Indonesia sing together.
From charades and Mid-Autumn lantern riddles to a family-letter wall filled with heartfelt messages, employees wrote down and posted what they wanted to say to their families, giving a place for those who could not be there to share in their thoughts and affection. At the end of the event, everyone raised a toast and admired the moon together before taking group photos. Meanwhile, the operations staff on duty in the central control building were not forgotten. A Mid-Autumn gift box and a card bearing a message from the company's leaders were quietly delivered to their colleagues who remained at their posts as the dinner was underway.
From a cup of tea in SGPJB to a mooncake in Lion and a reunion dinner in GH EMM, CHN Energy's Chinese and Indonesian employees celebrated this Mid-Autumn Festival in different ways while sharing the same message: distance across mountains and seas cannot keep people apart when friendship connects them. As moonlight shone over every plant along the equator, reunion became more than a feeling of homesickness shared by Chinese people. It became a warm and shared moment for Chinese and Indonesian employees alike.
May this full moon light the way home and illuminate the distant path we walk together.
