In the Still of the Night

Zha Wen, my friend and fellow PS grad student and part-time Chinese teacher pointed out that the moon (yue liang) was brilliant tonight. It really was. And Mars and Saturn are up in the sky too.

Wen told me that moon in Chinese culture is seen as a reminder of family.

And I understand why. I always find the moon and stars rather mystical. Firstly there's the timelessness - the light that we see set out from the stars so many, many years ago. Then, and more relevant to the Chinese idea, is that someone miles away, gazing up at the sky, sees the same image that I do -and distance somehow disappears.

Wen also said that the roundness of the full moon is reminiscent of the family.

Here's an English translation of a Chinese poem that voices this sentiment

In the Still of the Night
I descry bright moonlight in front of my bed.
I suspect it to be hoary frost on the floor.
I watch the bright moon, as I tilt back my head.
I yearn, while stooping, for my homeland more

More versions of the poem here

A Galilean Night
Credit & Copyright: Jens Hackmann
Source: APOD