Has the Mid-Autumn Festival Changed? When Mooncakes Become More Than Food

This post examines how the Mid-Autumn Festival is being reshaped by market forces and cultural policy, using the changing role of mooncakes as a key example.

Cultural policy is not solely concerned with culture, but is closely intertwined with other policy domains such as the economy and social welfare (Bell and Oakley 2015). Consequently, cultural governance often involves regulating and controlling culture through oversight, as well as supporting and developing it through funding and investment. Within this framework, China’s Cultural Powerhouse strategy reflects its determination to promote cultural development and enhance the appeal of Chinese civilisation, emphasising the need to place cultural advancement at the forefront of national governance (CGTN 2024). As a vital component of culture, traditional festivals are continually being integrated into policy planning and market operations, serving as key vehicles for connecting the economy, society and values. Against this background, traditional festivals such as the Mid-Autumn Festival are no longer merely simple folk activities, but are also influenced by both policy and commercial factors.

Eating mooncakes at the Mid-Autumn Festival Source: Rednote

O’Connor (2011) argues that the use value of cultural products is often disconnected from their market returns, and that such products tend to become outdated quickly, with short profit cycles. Against this background, the cultural symbols of traditional festivals are easily repackaged by the market and given new meanings. Take the Mid-Autumn Festival as an example. Eating mooncakes originally symbolised family reunion and happiness. However, in recent years, the gift economy, brand marketing and price competition surrounding mooncakes have transformed this festival into a highly representative form of cultural consumption.

Influencer-promoted mooncakes, cross-brand collaborations, and finely designed gift boxes have emerged, and some products have even become symbols of status and social connections due to their luxurious packaging and high prices (Xin 2025). Under this logic of consumption, the significance of mooncakes is no longer confined to the festive food itself, but has been imbued with greater symbolic value relating to face, social obligations and social status, leading to a subtle shift in the cultural meaning of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Influencer-promoted mooncakes Source: Rednote

However, as mooncakes have become increasingly commercialised, problems like high prices and excessive packaging have started to attract public attention. In response, policy interventions have begun to regulate and guide the mooncake market (Xin 2025). For instance, measures such as restricting excessive pricing and reducing excessive packaging aim to reduce extravagance in festival spending. These policies not only target market behaviour itself but also seek to redefine the values the festival should embody, emphasising a return to emotional connections and family reunions.

At the same time, the impact of these policies is further amplified through the media and communication channels. For example, the Mid-Autumn Festival gala, news reports and content on social media platforms often repeatedly emphasise themes such as reunion and heritage, thereby constructing a dominant narrative around the festival. This narrative not only deepens people’s emotional connection to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but also, to a certain extent, guides them on how to celebrate the festival in an appropriate manner.

Furthermore, individuals are not merely passive recipients. Take young people as an example. On the one hand, they engage in the consumption of Influencer-promoted mooncakes and share them on social media, drawn in by commercial marketing campaigns; on the other hand, more and more people are returning to the principles of rational consumption and celebrating the festival in a simple manner. On TikTok, videos featuring homemade mooncakes have gained over 650 million views, with 50,000 people contributing to the related topic. This seemingly contradictory behaviour precisely reflects how cultural practices are influenced by multiple forces: the roles of the market, the media, policy guidance and people’s personal reinterpretations.

A screenshot of the homemade mooncakes topic on TikTok

Overall, against the background of the strategy to build a cultural powerhouse, the Mid-Autumn Festival is not only a key focus of national cultural governance but also a pivotal point in market operations, and a concrete manifestation of individual emotions and social relationships. Its significance is perhaps no longer confined to a single flavour, but rather concerns a complex narrative involving culture, consumption and policy guidance.

References：

Bell, D. and Oakley, K. (2015) ‘The policy of cultural policy’, in Cultural policy. London and New York: Routledge.

CGTN (2024) ‘China advances its efforts to be a cultural powerhouse by 2035’, CGTN, 30 October. Available at: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-10-30/China-advances-its-efforts-to-be-a-cultural-powerhouse-by-2035-1y7CQriF3YQ/p.html

O’Connor, J. (2011) ‘the cultural and creative industries: A critical history’, Ekonomiaz, 78 (3), 25–45.

Xin, P. (2025) ‘A tradition reborn: The curious case of mooncakes and the eight-point decision’, China Daily, 23 September. Available at: https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202509/23/WS68d1ef67a3108622abca241d.html