Report on the Mid-Autumn Festival Gift of Pronology Services Inc., 2012

Author:Edwin Lin

Speaking of the Mid-Autumn Festival, surely we will associate it with eating moon cakes and enjoying the moon. But do you know the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival? These two words, Mid-Autumn Festival, came from Li Ji-Yue Ling in Zhou Li(Rites of Zhou) , which says “Keep good health to defend aging during the second month of autumn by eating porridge.” The exact date of the “Mid-Autumn” was not mentioned in the book. It was not until the Tang Dynasty that the “Mid-Autumn” became a regular festival. And the word “moon cake” was coined by Wu, Zih-Mu in the Southern Song Dynasty. In his work Meng Liang Lu (《夢梁錄》), he originally mentioned it as a kind of pastry food. In the end, people combined the activities of enjoying the moon and eating the moon cakes, which symbolizes the idea of family reunion. Therefore, moon cakes have become presents connecting people together.

I believe the gift for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year must be a box of moon cakes! That’s right! The gift for the Mid-Autumn Festival chosen by the company is the moon cake gift box made by Cih-Yu Sheltered Workshop. Like the gift box for the Dragon Boat Festival, the gift box for the Mid-Autumn this year is made by one of the organizations belonging to Yu-Cheng Social Welfare Foundation as well. Cih-Yu sheltered workshop was established in December of 1994. The specialists provide the disabled with relevant training and sales services. Every product is made under the attitude of enthusiasm (Love) and happiness (Joy). The attitude is shaped through the training sessions. The food they made does not contain preservatives. And it is certified by the Public Health Department of the New Taipei City Government. They hope the consumers eat healthily and without worries. The workshop is working hard in order to receive an ISO 9000 certification at present. Although the workshop is united by the disabled, and the improvement of the equipment and the environment remains a problem to be solved, the workshop still hopes to provide the customers with products of better quality. This kind of attitude really makes people feel awe for.

I paid a visit to the workshop and found out that about 20 people were working together in a space around 40 ping. The working place was not spacious. The education personnel instructed them devotedly. I observed how the raw dough was turned into the product through the process of rolling and baking. Every one worked hard to make the product. It was very heart-touching. The head of the workshop said that it is true that instructing the disabled is a bit more difficult. They need more instructions from the social workers. During the process of learning, they not only work together with the normal people, but also regain joy and confidence. Most important of all, they become skilled through the training.

The company ordered the gift boxes for the Mid-Autumn Festival from the sheltered workshop. At first the company was trying to make contribution to society. We hoped to raise attention on this issue from the society. Unexpectedly, the company received an invitation letter from Ministry of the Interior. The company was invited to a press conference for an event called Love of the Mid-Autumn Festival (千里傳情 愛獻101). President Ma, Ying-Jiou and Li, Hong-Yuan, the minister of Ministry of the Interior, showed up and presented the awards. They appealed to the governments and the privately held companies to make contribution to the disadvantaged. More disadvantaged people can benefit from this.

The company’s act was recognized by the government this time. The staffs are proud of it too. We believe that we will definitely feel more warmth while enjoying the moon cake of love on the Mid-autumn Festival this year.

Related Website Links:
Yu-Cheng Social Welfare Foundation
http://www.ycswf.org.tw/index.php
Cih-Yu Sheltered Workshop of New Taipei City
http://www.calldoor.com.tw/mystore/lovejoy
Cih-Yu Sheltered Workshop: Blog
http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/coffeebear39/