Bakers in Haimen, Nantong, are turning landmarks into creative mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival, drawing orders from across the country and interest from overseas.

Creative mooncakes featuring Haimen landmarks. [Photo/WeChat account: haimenfabu]

Gu Yong, a native of Haimen who runs a bakery, came up with the idea for his unique mooncakes during last year's Mid-Autumn Festival. At first, he found making them by hand too complex and was unable to finish in time. To overcome this, he had molds custom-made and made several adjustments before finalizing nine designs in late August.

Gu and his wife, Ding Chunhua, paid close attention to detail. One of the mooncakes features a red "Haimen" design, while others are shaped like local landmarks such as the Sanchang Bell Tower, TV Tower, and Qinglong Port, each with different ingredients. Gu said he hopes more people will get to know and remember Haimen through the mooncakes.

Another baker, Muzi, who has lived in Haimen for more than 20 years, chose eight local landmarks for her mooncakes. These include Haimen Middle School, Haimen Sports Center Stadium, and Zhang Jian Memorial Hall. Since her mooncakes are handmade, they take much longer to make than regular ones. She said some overseas customers have learned about Haimen through them.