According to the records in Volume 8 of "Dreaming of Splendor in Tokyo" (prefaced in 1147), several days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the streets and markets of the Song Dynasty were already filled with a strong festive atmosphere. Stores sold new wine and redecorated their colorfully adorned pavilions at the front doors. The townsfolk vied to drink the new wine, and fruits such as pomegranates, pears, chestnuts, grapes, and oranges were available. By nightfall, people competed to ascend wine towers to admire the moon, accompanied by music from stringed instruments, flutes, and pipes. Children in the alleys played all night long, and the night market was bustling with people and horses until dawn.
Wu Zimu's (who lived around 1270) "Record of Dreams in the Liang Dynasty" Volume 4 also recorded that during the Southern Song Dynasty, many families held home banquets on this day to reunite with their children and celebrate the fine festival. Even poor families living in shabby alleys would pawn their clothes to buy wine and enjoy the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Jin Yingzhi's (who lived around 1126) "Newly Compiled Drunken翁Talk Record" Volume 4 further recorded how people of the time progressed from moon appreciation to moon worship.