Mooncakes made by Fudan University [Photo/thepaper.cn]

The annual Mid-Autumn Festival is around the corner, and universities around Shanghai have begun competing to offer mooncakes with the most distinctive characteristics. In addition to traditional fillings such as egg yolk, lotus seed paste, "five kernel," red bean paste and fresh meat, a variety of new flavors have been introduced, including tiramisu, durian, coffee, ham and beef, purple sweet potato and mushroom. These new flavors offer a real treat for teachers and students alike.

The following universities have even produced mooncakes carved with their university badges: Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong Univeristy, Tongji Univeristy, East China University of Science and Technology, East China Normal University and Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Teachers and students can enjoy the mooncakes at a discount or even free of charge.