Ice cream mooncake models are seen at a Haagen-dazs shop in Shanghai, east China, Sept. 7, 2021. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

For thousands of years, the Mid-Autumn Festival has been celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, when the moon is believed to be at its roundest and brightest. Often known as the Moon Festival and second in importance only to the Chinese New Year, it is all about family reunion and relaxation.

The mooncake, a traditional pastry special regarded as an indispensable delicacy during the festival, is observing its modern twists by worldwide brands and becoming a window of cross-cultural exchange. For example, the Louvre Museum and Haagen-dazs rolled out a collection of ice cream mooncake. Shanghai Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) and LYFEN also collectively rolled out a new mooncake collection of "East Meet West".