On the picture above, A sales assistant displays pure gold moon cakes at a department store in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

Moon cake is a Chinese pastry traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Sept. 14 this year. Various brands of mooncake are already on sale, but some people are complaining that the seasonal delicacies are too expensive this year.

“The mooncakes have already become gifts for exchange but some brands are expensive,” said Zhu Ji, a Beijing resident. She said that some mooncakes cost as much as 1,500 yuan (US$180) each, a sum equal to one third of her monthly salary.

On the picture below, A salesgirl shows a blinged moon cake made of pure gold at a shop in Shijiangzhuang, capital city of Hebei province, September 12, 2007