As the National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday are just around the corner, mooncakes, symbols of family reunion and harmony in China, are flying off shelves with both time-honored recipes and new flavors gaining popularity. In Beijing's time-honored Daoxiangcun bakery, mooncakes occupy the front and center of store displays. This year, the shop has launched six freshly baked varieties with unique flavors, an instant hit among shoppers. "They're quite different from the traditional ones, more creative and better suited to younger people's tastes," said Xing Rui, local resident. According to Li Xiaoxuan, Daoxiangcun's Mid-Autumn Festival project manager, mooncake sales have surged in the past week and are continuing to rise as the holiday approaches. "Each store is now selling about 200 freshly baked mooncakes a day, which is double compared to last week," she said. Up north in Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, the century-old bakery Laodingfeng has seen crowds lining up at opening time these days. Customers swarm both the checkout counters and gift box display areas. "Since the door opened, I've had 200 to 300 people visiting the store, with most of them asking about the gift boxes," said Chen Jin, a staff member at Laodingfeng's flagship store. In Shanghai, many heritage brands are embracing creativity. Some have introduced unconventional flavors like roasted coconut and glazed ham, while one shop is selling mini mooncakes shaped like coal balls, drawing curious crowds eager to snap photos and try something new. Platform data shows that the Mid-Autumn mooncake market is shifting toward health-conscious and lighter gift options, with 73 percent of consumers prioritizing clean ingredients and favoring low-sugar or additive-free products, while 59 percent prefer lighter gift options. The eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday begins this Wednesday. SHOTLIST: Beijing, China - Recent 1. Various of customers shopping for mooncakes at Daoxiangcun bakery, mooncakes of diverse styles on display; 2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Xing Rui, customer (ending with shot 3): "These mooncakes are quite different from the traditional ones, more creative and better suited to younger people's tastes."; 3. Various of delicate, adorable mooncakes; 4. Various of customers selecting mooncakes; 5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Li Xiaoxuan, Daoxiangcun's Mid-Autumn Festival project manager (starting with shot 4/ending with shot 6): "Each store is now selling about 200 freshly baked mooncakes a day, which is double compared to last week."; 6. Mooncakes; Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, northeast China - Recent 7. Various of shopping street crowded with people, Laodingfeng bakery; 8. Various of customers shopping for mooncakes at Laodingfeng bakery; 9. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Chen Jin, staff member, Laodingfeng's flagship store: "Since the door opened, I've had 200 to 300 people visiting the store, with most of them asking about the gift boxes."; Shanghai, China - Recent 10. Various of customers standing in line, waiting to buy mooncakes; mooncakes, mooncake brochure; 11. Various of mini mooncakes shaped like coal balls; 12. Customers lining up to buy mooncakes; Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, northeast China - Recent 13. Packaged mooncakes on shelves; Beijing, China - Recent 14. Packaged mooncakes with diverse fillings. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]