In ancient China, welcoming autumn could involve stealing pumpkins, sitting on giant hanging scales and eating extra meat – rituals reflecting how people connected seasonal change with fertility, health and good fortune.
Historical records show that during the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), groups of young people would gather on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival to sneak into fields and take pumpkins.
Far from being considered wrongdoing, the practice was often tolerated – and even welcomed – by farmers. By the Republican era (1912–1949), it had become particularly prevalent in rural communities.