A panda at Xiangjiang Safari Park in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, savors his mooncake treat on Tuesday ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Liu Dawei / Xinhua

And it is not just the packaging that is changing. Younger people are increasingly shunning the traditional, unhealthy variety. Two weeks before the festival, Luo Xiaoyu, a regular online shopper, came across DIY mooncakes at taobao.com, China's largest consumer e-commerce website.

She ordered six for her father with characters saying "Thanks, dad".

Romantic messages are also popular with characters proclaiming "I love you" in big demand. Shop owner Xiao Feizao said he sold 17 DIY packages the week before the festival, charging 88 yuan for four pieces. Customers had to submit their particular messages or patterns three days in advance.

One online shop based in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, claimed all their DIY mooncakes were made at a well-known hotel, guaranteeing their quality. Photos of family and friends can also be included in the DIY package, priced at 168 yuan.

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The DIY mooncakes are not only more creative but also healthier.

The traditional treat, rich in eggs and sweet bean paste, has a high fat content which may be out of step with today's health-conscious lifestyle.

Taobao customers can opt for untraditional ingredients, including yogurt, jelly and fat-free ice-cream as well as pineapple, durian and yam.

While luxury boxes may not be as prominent this year there is not much change to the Mid-Autumn "gift culture" at the core of the excess.

"It has become a custom we tiredly follow," said one customer surnamed Liu, referring to the practice of sending expensive mooncakes to superiors and important friends.

In 2009 alone, China produced 250,000 tons of mooncakes, and wrapping paper consumed more than 6,000 trees, according to the People's Daily website.

Until the Chinese start to question the time-honored but outdated gift-sending mentality and encourage better packaging and recycling standards, Mid-Autumn will continue to be a time of wasteful over-consumption.

Xinhua contributed to this story.