As China still claims Taiwan as a renegade state, it often forces Taiwan out of the international scene, so it's almost impossible to get representatives of the two countries to stand side by side.

But at last year's Moon Festival at Memorial Park, representatives from both sides of the Taiwan Strait celebrated the traditional Chinese holiday together. Chinese ambassador Wang Yunxiang and Taiwanese official Lee Shih-ming, although smiling reluctantly, even shook hands at the moon-cake-cutting ceremony.

"That was a historical moment," said Wu, president of the Moon Festival. "China and Taiwan were united here in Cupertino."

What was Wu's trick that brought two lions into one cage?

At the Moon Festival in 2001, Wu received two 2-foot-wide moon cakes from Hsinchu, Cupertino's sister city in Taiwan. When she invited Taiwanese officials to cut the cake, they told Wu they were not free that day, so she invited a Chinese ambassador to cut the cake. That act infuriated Taiwanese officials, Wu says.

So in 2002, representatives from both China and Taiwan sent moon cakes to her and attended the festival to make sure the other party would not cut their moon cakes.

This year, Wu will receive six moon cakes for the Moon Festival on Aug. 30 and 31. One moon cake will be from Cupertino, one from Taipei, one from Hsinchu, one from Pinghu (Sunnyvale's sister city in China) and one each from local Chinese and Taiwanese officials.

"The purpose of the Moon Festival is to promote harmony and unity," Wu, 49, said. "The six moon cakes embody that spirit."

For Taiwan and China, the Moon Festival may be another wrestling ground over their political power. But for Wu, the festival illustrates the struggle for Chinese Americans to be accepted by the mainstream American community.

Fernando Chen started the Moon Festival five years ago to promote the image of Chinese Americans after several Chinese leaders in the Bay Area were accused of trying to buy influence through soft-money donations to the Clinton administration.

"I felt we were looked down upon after the scandal," Wu said. "We wanted to show that the Chinese people are eager to give back to the community."

The goal was ambitious but the work was hard.

In the first year of the Moon Festival, Wu was one of two volunteers.

But all the efforts paid off when the event attracted more than 30,000 people from all over the Bay Area. Despite the great turnout, many visitors criticized the vendors for having only Chinese signs.

"I didn't realize that all the signs were in Chinese until my daughter came to me and asked me what the vendors were selling," said Wu, who grew up in Hong Kong and immigrated to the United States in 1979. "It just never occurred to me that the signs would be incomprehensible to people who don't speak Chinese because that is my native language."

The controversy over having only Chinese signs at the festival, compounded with conflicts arising from the rapid growth of the Chinese population in Cupertino, created such a tension that Chen decided that the first Moon Festival would be the last one. But Wu wouldn't give up. She took it over and made organizing the festival her full-time job.

"I am not a flower in the greenhouse," Wu said. "I have the spirit of weeds. The more obstacles I have ahead of me, the more excited I am."

In many ways, Wu is not a typical Chinese woman. She is independent, outspoken and loud. Her tiny body seems to have abundant energy. "A fortuneteller told my mom that I am a man trapped in a woman's body," Wu said.

Dennis Wan, who has known Wu for 10 years, said people working with Wu don't always like her straightforward style, but they respect her.

"Some people don't like Lucia because she lacks tact," said Wan, president of the Chinese American Chamber of Commerce and a volunteer for the Moon Festival since 1999. "She is no murky-mouth. She never hesitates to tell you what is right and what is wrong. And she doesn't mind having enemies."

According to her children—Jonathan, 23, and Jennifer, 21—Wu is not even a typical mom. She is a fan of Hello Kitty. She doesn't do the laundry. She doesn't cook. When she does cook, she burns things. She gave Jennifer her first checkbook when she was in third grade so Jennifer could pay for ballet classes and other expenses by herself. She encourages Jonathan to join the Army because she believes it is a great honor to die for the United States.

"My son thinks I am insane, but he doesn't understand how lucky he is to have the opportunity to serve his country. He doesn't know how it feels to be an outsider," Wu said.

"When I visited Taiwan to celebrate the National Day of the Republic of China, Taiwanese people labeled me as a person from Hong Kong. When I returned to Hong Kong, they treated me as an American. Although I am a U.S. citizen, people here think I am a Chinese," Wu said.

Despite this identity crisis, Wu believes her understanding of Eastern and Western societies makes her the best candidate to bring the Chinese community together and to bridge Chinese and American cultures.

"The Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is the second most important holiday in Chinese culture," Wu said. "Through a celebration with foods and activities, the mainstream society can get to know Chinese culture in an interesting way."

Learning from the first year's lesson, Wu requires vendors to have English or bilingual signs. She travels all over Asia to find good performers. She creates programs that engage the local community, such as having a traditional Chinese wedding, at which the then Mayor Sandra James was dressed in a red Chinese bridal outfit, at the festival in 2001.

Her dedication has drawn many volunteers. Now the festival has become so successful that donors come to her before she knocks on their doors. This year, the Moon Festival is expected to attract 60,000 people.

"A lot of people think I am crazy that I am so devoted to the Moon Festival," Wu said. "It is a lot of hard work, but I believe it will improve the racial relations in Cupertino and in the United States in the long run."

The Moon Festival will be held Aug. 30 and 31 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. at Memorial Park. Free parking is available at De Anza College. For more information, visit http://www.themoonfestival.org.