The annual Mid-autumn Cultural Festival is launched in Maoming on Aug 2. [Photo/WeChat account: maofabu]

The annual Mid-autumn Cultural Festival was launched in Maoming on Aug 2 and will last until Oct 4. It aims to advance the brand building of Maoming mooncakes, as well as promote Maoming mooncakes to the country and around the world.

In recent years, the mooncake industry in Maoming has undergone rapid development. The city won the titles of the "famous mooncake city in Guangdong province" in 2016 and the "famous mooncake city in China" in 2018.

The city currently has about 200 mooncake manufacturers, ranking first among all the prefecture-level cities in China, as well as nearly 60 provincial-level mooncake brands. The annual output value of the city's mooncake industry exceeds 3 billion yuan ($430.12 million), with more than 100,000 employees.

Brand mooncakes are showcased at the launching ceremony of the Mid-autumn Cultural Festival on Aug 2. [Photo/WeChat account: maofabu]

In addition to the launching ceremony, a variety of activities will be carried out during the festival, including a contest looking for the best mooncake craftsman, the mooncake making contest, the sales exhibition of brand mooncakes, as well as a collection activity of logo designs for Maoming, the "famous mooncake city in China."

The Mid-autumn Cultural Festival in Maoming was first held in 2019.