With the Mid-Autumn Festival just around the corner, mooncakes have begun appearing on shelves. In Hangzhou, a traditional mooncake workshop received orders for more than 1.3 million mooncakes within just one week of starting production.

Recognized as an intangible cultural heritage site, the workshop is led by masters dedicated to preserving century-old methods of making earthen-oven mooncakes. Every detail—from the rustic décor to the vintage tools—evokes a sense of tradition. Artisans skillfully knead, fill, and shape each mooncake before lining them up for baking in traditional clay ovens. In no time, batch after batch of golden-brown pastries emerges, crisp and fragrant.

The mooncakes come in four time-honored varieties: mixed nuts, spiced salt, ham, and red bean paste. Pre-sales data show that demand this year has already doubled compared to last year. According to the workshop’s manager, what sets their mooncakes apart is an unwavering commitment to tradition—from recipe and technique down to the tools used—a rarity in today’s market. The team vows to keep these heritage practices alive for generations to come.