Chinese eschew fancy mooncakes: surveys

BEIJING -- Two sets of survey results released for China's Mid-Autumn Festival on Thursday have showed that Chinese still found mooncakes a bit too expensive this year and most of them prefer traditional tastes in simple packages.

The online survey of 2,009 people by the China Youth Daily, a national newspaper, found that nearly half of those polled found fewer extremely expensive mooncakes on the market than in previous years but about 60.3 percent still considered the price of these seasonal specialties a bit high.

Among the surveyed, 67.3 percent reported their monthly income between 3,001 to 10,000 yuan ($490 to $1,633) , with 21.2 percent below 3,000 yuan and 11.5 percent higher than 10,000 yuan, said the survey report published in Thursday's newspaper.

About 48.8 percent said they bought mooncakes themselves while 22.7 percent said they received mooncakes as gifts from others and 22.6 percent got them from their employers.

Mooncakes are a round-shaped pastry traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, when Chinese worship the moon and celebrate reunions with family and friends.

Despite always being available in a variety of tastes, bakery businesses have been working hard to create new ones. But it seems from another survey by daily newspaper the Beijing News that many of the novelties are not a hit with consumers.

The poll of 266 people showed that mooncakes stuffed with traditional pastes such as lotus seed, nuts, red bean and Chinese date were favorites, winning about 62.5 percent of votes.

Among the edgy ones such as those stuffed with seafood, candy and vegetables, ice cream was the most popular with 10.39 percent of the votes.

A majority 65.79 percent preferred mooncakes wrapped up by paper in a traditional way and 16.54 percent liked them being put in a carton. Only 1.5 percent chose costly packages, the survey report said.

About 90 percent of the surveyed said taste was the priority when they bought mooncakes, compared with price, brand and packaging, it added.

China is in the middle of a campaign to exorcise undesirable work styles such as formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance.

Early this month, the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection issued a circular urging officials to refrain from luxurious banquets and gift-giving ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day holidays from October 1 to 7.

Luxurious mooncakes, referring to those sold at more than 1,000 yuan a box and often bought as gifts, have become a main target.