Pyrethrum Tatsienense, also known as Tatsienchiku or Sichuan Western Small Yellow Daisy,is a plant in the Asteraceae family, belonging to the genus Pyrethrum.It is a commonly used folk medicine, and its dried capitulum is used to treat bruises, head injuries, headaches, and more. It is mainly distributed in the southwestern part of Qinghai, the southwestern and northwestern parts of Sichuan, the northwestern part of Yunnan, and the eastern part of Tibet in China. It grows in alpine meadows, shrublands, or rhododendron shrublands, or on slope scree at altitudes of 3500-5200 meters. Every year from August to September, when Pyrethrum Tatsienense blooms, the red and yellow sea of flowers becomes a unique landscape on the alpine meadows in the autumn of the plateau.

Autumn is the season for chrysanthemums to bloom, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for reunion. Since ancient times in China, there has been a saying “beautiful flowers and a full moon,” which implies that one should not worry about things beyond their control; instead, they should enjoy the present moment. It is said, “May the flowers always be beautiful, may people always be healthy, and may the moon always be full.” “Beautiful flowers and a full moon” is a very beautiful thing in the world. At this time, the flowers that are considered beautiful are probably only two kinds: one is the chrysanthemum that stands tall and pure against the frost, and the other is the osmanthus with its subtle fragrance. “In the season of the last autumn month, there are yellow flowers of the chrysanthemum,” under the jade-like moon, there is a faint purple and a warm yellow. The color by the fence of the Taoist official, the fragrance inside the house of Luo Han.” A peaceful life is as light as a chrysanthemum, yet the chrysanthemum carries a sense of desolation, which seems to be somewhat discordant with the idea of completeness.

The ancients were wise in saying that completeness has never truly existed. The moon waxes and wanes, and people experience joy and sorrow, parting and reunion. Allowing for the existence and occurrence of regrets means not clinging to the past. Life is about living in the present and dealing with situations as they arise. Those who do not understand are forever lamenting what they have lost and forever imagining tomorrow. If you do not cherish the present, you will forever have a past filled with sorrow and a today that will become another sorrowful yesterday, and the cumulative effect of yesterday and today will bring about a tomorrow that is also filled with sorrow.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, with beautiful flowers and a full moon. The meaning of “beautiful flowers and a full moon” is actually: the flowers are at their best today, and the moon is the roundest now. The present is still a moon like now and a cluster of flowers like now, bright and clear like the bright moon, light and faint like the autumn chrysanthemum. In the tranquility, people are more likely to have a dialogue with themselves, free from worries, which is the state of being untroubled.

super moon @Internet

Regarding the full moon, this year’s roundest moon is not on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. There are four “super moons” this year, occurring on the early morning of August 20th, September 18th, October 17th, and November 16th. This means that on this year’s Mid-Autumn Day – September 17th, in China, the roundest moon cannot be seen, and the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival (September 17th) is close to the day when the moon passes the perigee. The apparent diameter of the Mid-Autumn moon will be “slightly larger.” This year’s full moon moment occurs at 10:34 AM on September 18th (the sixteenth day of the lunar calendar), “the moon of the fifteenth is rounder on the sixteenth.” In fact, it’s quite good, not quite full, but just right for completeness.

Moonrise time: September 17th at 17:58

Moonset time: September 18th at 06:02

Fullest moment: September 18th at 10:34 (On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the later the moon, the rounder it is)

picture @Internet

With few stars and a bright moon, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, in addition to admiring the moon, one can also observe some bright stars. The bright stars suitable for observation that night include Arcturus (Boötes), Vega (Lyra), Altair (Aquila), Deneb (Cygnus), and Antares (Scorpius), among others.

There are many ancient poems about the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Su Shi’s “Nian Nu Jiao · Mid-Autumn” has a beautiful artistic conception and is a wonderful appreciation.

“Nian Nu Jiao · Mid-Autumn”

Su Shi, Song Dynasty

Leaning on high, I gaze into the distance, seeing the vast sky, clouds without traces. The moon’s spirit flies, shooting light, coldly soaking the whole day in the blue of autumn. In the jade palace and the jade tower, riding the crane to come and go, people are in the cool country. The landscape is like a painting, with the misty trees clearly visible in the distance.

I am drunk, clapping and singing wildly, raising my cup to invite the moon, forming a trio with my shadow. Dancing and wandering under the wind and dew, I do not know what night it is tonight. I want to ride the wind and return, why use the wings of a roc. In the crystal palace, a sound cuts off the flute.