The second "Global Yantai Natives Reunited for a Virtual Homecoming" event was held on Sept 13 in Yantai, a coastal city of Shandong province. The event, through both online and offline channels, aimed to bring Yantai natives from around the world together to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. 

Yantai is a national historical and cultural city and one of Shandong's key hometowns for overseas Chinese. With 250,000 overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese living abroad, Yantai ranks first in the province in terms of overseas population. 

The event provided an important platform for Yantai natives round the world to stay connected with, cherish, and contribute to their hometown, said Lyu Bo, director of the publicity department of the CPC Yantai municipal committee. 

Celebrations of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Sept 17 this year, focus on the moon. From ancient times, it has been customary for Chinese to reunite with family members and enjoy mooncakes while observing the moon.

Yantai natives living abroad send Mid-Autumn Festival greetings to Yantai via a video during the event on Sept 13. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A performance is staged during the event to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]