Mooncakes are traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar. However, much has changed over the years in terms of mooncake prices of hitting the roof and wanton wastage.

Further, it would seem that even this traditional delicacy has been dragged into the nasty world of bribery and corruption in the form of expensive gifts. This pushed the government to establish standards in relation to price and production processes.

In June, Compulsory Standards for the Production of Mooncakes were released jointly by the General Administration of Quality Inspection, Supervision and Quarantine and Standardization Administration of China. These standards relate primarily to packaging.

Mooncakes are typically packed in boxes made of wood, silk or even gold to make presentable gifts. They are also often given along with wines, china tea sets or gold jewelry. From this year, however, stores and supermarkets will be carrying no-frills mooncakes as a result of the new standards. Customers usually pay an average of 100 yuan for a box of four mooncakes.

Despite the new rules, mooncake traders haven't quite given up the idea of selling their products at exorbitant prices. They might not be selling them in the stores, but they most certainly are over the Internet.

Typing in the keyword "mooncake" into a search engine brings up a whole list of options. One might find a Golden and Silver Mooncake of Harmony made of natural jade. The mooncake is described as completely hand-made, with two dragons crouching on a golden pedestal, entwined around a mooncake made of silver, with the pattern of Tian'anmen Square carved on its front.

Priced at 10,000 yuan, this set includes a collection of stamps with a Mid-Autumn festival motif, certifications for the jade, gold and silver, a collectors' item certification with serial number, a rosewood box and a leather handbag.

These "mooncakes" are available in Beijing, Wuhan, Jinan and Chengdu. And because they are inedible, they don't come under the purview of the new rules.

"The compulsory standard forbids luxuriously packaged and overpriced mooncakes, while the packing cost of the golden mooncakes accounts for three percent of their value. Add to that the increase in gold prices. They are totally different from the traditionally luxurious mooncakes," a director of China National Gold Group Corporation (CNGGC) explained.

"The compulsory standard applies to the production of mooncakes, but not to gifts in the shape of a mooncake," Wang Yao, deputy secretary-general of China General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC), argued.

This is not to say that one can't purchase edible mooncakes online. Buyers are spoiled for choice, with mooncakes costing 500 yuan and up, decorated with gold foil or filled with expensive ingredients like XO-marinated seashells.

One insider pointed out that the endearing presence of such expensive and elaborate mooncakes reflects the demand in the gifts market. "It is unrealistic to try to change this practice with rules and standards."

(China.org.cn by Huang Shan, September 21, 2006)