(Ecns.cn) – For every Chinese person, there can be no Mid-Autumn Festival celebration without mooncakes—those moon-shaped cakes that symbolize the roundness of the moon and the reunion of family members. Since the special occasion is approaching in less than two weeks, shopping for the cake is a compulsory mission for many.
Due to the concerns of recent food safety scandals, or just for the sheer novelty of it, DIY mooncakes have become the latest fashion among the younger generation in China.
Joining hands with the rapidly growing online shopping businesses, the DIY mooncake making experience can be easily gained after buying molds with just a few mouse-clicks.
Despite the tradition, these baking molds are not necessarily round like they used to be. Rectangular, heart-shaped, diamond-shaped, and with cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse, as well as your own filling choice, it is a creative way to celebrate the festival with over a thousand years of history.
Ms. Wang, the owner of an online shop with the best sales record on Taobao, China's biggest online shopping portal, said her shop had been selling the DIY mooncake filling since 2006, but only started to sell molds this year.
Customers send their orders with descriptions of what characters or patterns they want to be engraved on the molds.
"One customer asked me to put 'Marry Me Please' on the mold," Wang told Zhejiang Online. "It seems that the festival is not only a celebration for family, but also a good time for a proposal while looking at the moon."
