The wax and wane of mooncakes

An overview of the mooncake production process. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/China Daily]

According to Chen Feng-wei, secretary-general of the Shanghai Confectionery Industry Association, mooncakes used to be an important source of income for many bakeries and confectionery factories because they were a highly popular gift during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

In fact, the focus was hardly on the pastry itself, but on the elaborate packaging and the side gifts that could be as extravagant as gold bars.

In late 2013, the Communist Party of China banned government officials from using public funds for official gift-giving. The sales of mooncakes, together with other popular gifts like imported wines and luxury products, were severely hit since.

Because of the ban, mooncake makers were forced to innovate and rethink their business strategy. Instead of positioning the product as an attractive gift, bakeries introduced a larger selection of flavors and kept the prices affordable to the masses. What resulted was a sales boom.

"The anti-corruption ban has pushed every bakery and mooncake maker to stay competitive by replacing the traditionally dense pastries with novel ingredients," said Chen.

According to the Shanghai Confectionery Industry Association, there are as many as 200 types of mooncakes available on the market this year, up from 150 types last year. Newly invented fillings include cheese and crayfish, pickles and bullfrogs, and even fried rice.

The association also expects Shanghai residents to consume 22,000 tons of mooncakes this year, up by 15 percent from 2016.

Chen forecast that the sales of mooncakes this year is likely to rebound to a record high since the ban on gifting was introduced in 2013.

She added that the timing of this year's festival has also played a part.

"The festival this year is later than usual and this has extended the mooncake season by about two months, giving consumers an unusually long duration to savor the cakes," said Chen.