As the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival draws near, supermarkets in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, have begun selling mooncakes with both traditional and innovative flavors at attractive prices, drawing a growing number of local consumers as well as those from Hong Kong and Macao.
A chain supermarket in Futian District of Shenzhen has seen a significant number of consumers from Hong Kong, with many of them planning to buy mooncake gift boxes before the festival.
"I bought four mooncakes and took them home yesterday, finding them quite delicious. So, I returned today to buy a gift box and look for different styles. Additionally, I think mooncakes in Shenzhen are a bit cheaper, and it's quicker to send them to my family on the mainland," said a consumer from Hong Kong.
"The proportion of mooncake consumers from Hong Kong or other consumer groups is relatively significant, reaching around 50 to 60 percent at weekends," said Cao Hai, the supermarket manager.
Cao reported a rising trend of consumers from Hong Kong and Macao traveling north to buy mooncake gift boxes in Shenzhen. Even on workdays, the supermarket delivers dozens of mooncake gift boxes daily, a situation uncommon in previous years.
Moreover, the bulk mooncakes that were available on shelves as early as July have been selling well.
"I'm trying out new flavors -- one with pepper and salt, and another with barbecue pork. Currently, I prefer buying bulk ones to taste different flavors. As the festival approaches, I'll opt for gift boxes to give as gifts," said a local consumer.
In comparison to gift-boxed mooncakes, loose-packed mooncakes present a broader range of flavors. At another supermarket's mooncake stall, alongside traditional Cantonese mooncakes filled with sweet lotus seed paste and five nuts, consumers can find innovative options such as black truffle and beef, as well as tangerine peel and red bean fillings.
"During our peak hours each day, we typically sell around 40 to 50 boxes of mooncakes. Overall, this year's market shows a slight upward trend, including at offline terminals. Many consumers still prefer to visit a store and look around. Therefore, our current stock levels are slightly higher this year compared to last year," said Wang Weimin, person in charge of the supermarket.
With the implementation of new regulations on mooncakes this year, mooncake fillings are banned against containing ingredients such as shark fin, sourced from endangered wildlife, and must avoid using precious and rare ingredients like bird's nests. Mooncakes priced above 500 yuan (around 70.08 U.S. dollars) are also largely exiting the market.
Currently, mooncake gift boxes in major supermarkets and stores are priced mainly between 150 yuan (around 21.03 U.S. dollars) and 350 yuan (around 49.06 U.S. dollars).
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a significant traditional Chinese festival celebrated on the night when the moon reaches its fullest and brightest on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.
The festival will fall on September 17 this year.
Shenzhen offers mooncakes with diverse flavors, attractive prices to consumers
