Pandan coconut mooncake • Wenchang

The first mooncake hails from Wenchang city, where the gentle sweetness of shredded coconut sets the tone of the flavor. Known as the Coconut Island of Hainan, the Dongjiao Coconut Forest in Wenchang boasts over 500,000 coconut trees, creating a stunning 15-kilometer coastal coconut corridor. Wenchang Coconut has earned both a national agricultural product geographical indication and a national geographical indication trademark.

Pandan leaves (Pandanus amaryllifolius), the other key ingredient of the mooncake, share a connection with Hainan's overseas Chinese culture. In 1949, Mo Youhu from Chongxing town in Wenchang brought pandan seedlings back from Singapore to his hometown. Over time, pandan has become deeply rooted in Chongxing town, and has grown into a significant local industry.

The sweet coconut intertwines with the grassy and floral aroma of pandan, offering a special taste that captures both the coconut breezes and the cultural nostalgia of the island.

Pork and five-kernel mooncake • Tunchang

The second mooncake hails from Tunchang county, a region in Hainan known for its lush hills and pristine waters, perfect for eco-friendly farming. This is where the Tunchang black pig, one of Hainan's top three local pig breeds, is raised.

In 2016, it became the first pig breed in Hainan to receive the "National Geographical Indication Protection Product" certification, celebrated for its tender meat, thin skin, and rich flavor.

The mooncake, with pork from black pigs and five kernels as stuffings, is a local favorite. Its savory-sweet pork, paired with crunchy nuts and a soft, syrupy crust, captures the essence of Tunchang's natural beauty.

Hainanese coffee mooncake • Fushan

The third mooncake hails from Fushan town in Chengmai county. In 1935, an overseas Chinese from Indonesia named Chen Xianzhang introduced Robusta coffee to this area, marking the start of large-scale commercial coffee cultivation in Hainan.

Today, Fushan is known as China's first coffee town, and in 2017, the Fushan Coffee Roasting Technique was recognized as one of Hainan's fifth batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage.

Fushan coffee, famous for being rich but not bitter, fragrant but not overpowering, pairs perfectly with the sweet syrupy crust, echoing a century-long history of overseas Chinese cultivation and roasting.

These three flavors represent three sides of Hainan — Wenchang's coconut breezes and ties to overseas Chinese, Tunchang's pastoral landscapes, and Chengmai's rich coffee aroma. A Hainan-style mooncake captures the essence of the island's Mid-Autumn Festival within its flaky layers.