Mooncake is a dessert served during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Unique to the tropical island, the Hainan-style mooncake combines the features of crispness and syrup golden crust.

Hainan-style mooncake is plump with clear outline and pattern. It's crispy in crust, rich in taste, sweet but not greasy. Coconut shreds, sweet lotus paste, salted egg yolk and nuts are all common ingredients. In 2017, its making technique was included in the provincial intangible cultural heritage list of Hainan.

As the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, you may also catch a glimpse of the old days of Haikou, capital of China's southernmost province of Hainan, from sweet and fragrant mooncakes here.

A staff member checks mooncakes at a Hainan-style mooncake shop in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, Sept. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhou Jiayi)

A customer selects mooncakes at a Hainan-style mooncake shop in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, Sept. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhou Jiayi)

Customers select mooncakes at a Hainan-style mooncake shop in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, Sept. 19, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhou Jiayi)