As Mid-Autumn Festival draws near, a traditional celebration of family reunions and the full harvest moon, restaurants and cafes across China are unveiling a wave of modern, innovative mooncakes. This year's offerings showcase a creative twist, blending contemporary tastes with classic elements.

Chef Li Xiang from Xin Ming Yuen restaurant in Beijing, brings a Mid-Autumn mooncake gift box crafted with classic designs, filled with delightful new flavors. Roasted preserved egg with red bean paste is one highlight that the pastry transitions from a crispy exterior to a chewy interior, with layers enveloping a soft-centered egg yolk.

Starbucks has designed this year's mooncakes with the theme of "aroma", introducing four varieties inspired by floral, fruity, and woody scents, along with new flavors incorporating coffee. A standout from the woody aroma collection is the Vanilla-Flavored Coffee Almond Mooncake, featuring a filling infused with the same coffee beans used in their Roast Espresso.

Four Seasons Hotel Beijing presents a Shi Yue gift box which can be transformed into a stylish square-foot coffee table, ideal for enjoying mooncakes and tea under the moonlight. The selection includes two Cantonese-style mixed nuts with ham mooncakes, two egg yolk and red lotus mooncakes, and two orange peel red bean paste mooncakes.

Beijing Hospitality Institute has unveiled a unique mooncake gift box, the creation of Wang Mengyao, a 2024 graduate whose design serves as her final project. The hand-painted illustrations on the box artfully blend themes of Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese culture, service excellence, and a heartfelt tribute to the school. The two-tiered gift box is a visual and culinary delight: the upper layer features intricate designs of an osmanthus tree, a jade rabbit, and a moon-shaped lamp, while the lower layer houses six flavors of flaky, pastry-style mooncakes.

Haidilao hot pot chain is celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival with two newly crafted mooncake gift sets, featuring innovative flavors designed to appeal to modern tastes. One standout is the Cantonese-style Spicy Beef Butter Mooncake, filled with mildly spiced beef, offering a savory twist on tradition. Another highlight is the Cantonese-style Purple Sweet Potato and Yam Mooncake, with a smooth, rich texture that's already a hit among younger consumers.

Nuo Hotel Beijing has introduced a mooncake set that blends traditional Chinese aesthetics with modern flavor innovations. This year's offerings include the Rose Lychee Mochi Mooncake and the Jasmine Green Grape Mochi Mooncake. These new creations combine floral and fruity notes with the soft, chewy texture of mochi, enhancing the classic mooncake with a contemporary twist.