The excitement is settling with the dust stirred up by the impressive convoy of armored vehicles rolling past Tian'anmen Square during the V-Day parade on Sept 3. Up in the sky, the colored clouds trailing China's mighty military jets are also fading.

The next time most Chinese will look up into the sky again is when the harvest moon shines clear and bright in a couple of weeks.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is an important one in the traditional Chinese calendar, second perhaps only to Spring Festival in importance.