China | Too rich for some

China’s government bites down on expensive mooncakes

Why the high-priced pastry makes officials nervous

|BEIJING

“The worst gift is a fruitcake,” said Johnny Carson. “There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.” Most Chinese people have never heard of Carson, a beloved American television host who died in 2005. Yet many would get his joke. China has its own fruitcake equivalent: yuebing, or mooncakes.

This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Too rich for some”

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