Mooncakes are a special kind of bakery good that people in china like to consume during mid autumn festival that is the harvest festival that falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. These round-shaped pastries which are filled are usually made from lotus seed paste or red bean paste and in the middle, it has one or more salted egg yolks to represent the moon.
Mooncakes are cookies that require as much talent and creativity as is given to the actual packaging of the food item. Traditionally, the mooncake is packaged in an equally ornate container, which is artistically designed and symbolizes the cultural essence of the cake.
During this period of the year, the Chinese people celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and it is one of the most important celebrations.
It is a festival of reunion and the round mooncake as the symbol since the moon is round and is considered biggest and brightest during this time of the year. The Mid-Autumn Festival is another great traditional festival second only to the Chinese New Year; legends dated back over thousands of years describe worship of the moon as well as mooncakes.
Still, one is based on China's legend in the Mid-Autumn Festival where the rebel leaders who fought against Mongols in the 14th century are said to have shared mooncakes with messages about the plan to fight against the Mongols in the 15th lunar month. In this sense, mooncakes symbolize Chinese culture and have been bestowed with social importance as seasonal endowment between families, friends and co-workers.
Today perfectly designed gifts including the box in which the mooncake is placed are carefully chosen to be special mooncake gifts for the Mid-Autumn festival. Businessmen and the upper class particularly appreciate luxury mooncake gifts as a means to initiation or reaffirm business relationships and gain a favorable reception.
Luxurious packaging now means that the person who is receiving it is valuable, while rounds of the mooncakes and containers represent wholeness and unity. Whether family members are far away and can only meet during the Mid-Autumn Festival, a grand gift box of moon cakes can describe the tender feelings. For all these reasons, mooncakes are not simply a way to indulge in sweet foods but also to have that culturally and emotionally satisfying experience.
Regardless of whether the original material that they are made from is stained wood, cloisonné enameling, delicate ceramics, shimmery metal work, or fine brocade silk, the best moon cake boxes themselves are also works of art that compliment the intricate confectionery neatly.
Symbolism is another artistic feature; symbols used are derived from Chinese culture, especially their appreciation of nature, mythical creatures, and prosperity. Feng shui animal motifs like dragons, phoenixes, cranes and Chinese unicorns play a protective role in the household, and symbolize wholesome, strength and blessings. For the magical theme of the carvings, the Chang'e goddess, who is believed to live on the moon as her palace, explains why goddess designs and moon images symbolically relate to the moon worship that forms the fundamental basis of the Mid-Autumn festivities.
Floral patterns such as peonies, orchids, plum blossoms, bamboo, and chrysanthemums that is considered as the Four Gentlemen in china, may also be incorporated into the design because of the beauty and the fragrance of flowers as well as the virtue of decorum and refinement of the four seasons. Beverage packaging also includes more precious metal such as gold, jade or porcelain or more beautifully hand painted artwork of Chinese landscapes.
The circular boxes also look great and symmetry the circular shape of the moon, adding to the overall aesthetic. Embodying the themes of mooncakes as family members sharing the delightful, sweet, and symbolic delicacies under the harvest moon, their exquisite packaging is a testament to the combination of blessings, hopes, and intimacy reflected in relationships, as seen through the lens of design.
Similar to the traditional mooncakes, their packaging is also glorious and innovative, and while they do have some deviations in the conventional norms, the creative designs are present. But new forms reveal new shapes such as octagonal ones and longer rectangular gift boxes that resemble the leading global luxurious brands' influences, the basic element of style and symbolism proves to persist in colour, flowers, divine beings, conventional designs, stones, ribbons, and bows.
Some even install solar panel through which music or LED lights can be controlled! Some brands such as the Shanghai Tang employs a blend of east and west styles, where Art Deco is incorporated together with Chinese flower motifs and hues. In this way, modern luxury aesthetics reinterpreting the traditional ones contemplates contemporary luxury packaging for mooncakes and does not lose its meaningful mission of preserving traditions in the years to come during this long-standing cultural event.
