Mid-Autumn "Moonlight Treasure Box" – Limited Pre-order of Junpin’s Creative Gift Box

By Chi Binghui, compiled and reported

The "Moonlight Treasure Box" from the Journey to the West movie is a familiar scene in many people's memories, and as the upcoming Mid-Autumn gift box season approaches, hotels have kicked off their pre-order campaigns early. Handmade with imported fillings and packaged in intricately carved wooden treasure boxes, these luxurious gift sets are now available for pre-order from today until September 9.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the three major traditional holidays for family reunions, and mooncakes — a must-eat delicacy — have long shed their conventional image, with both fillings and packaging becoming more refined and elegant. Last year, Junpin Hotel’s music box mooncake gift set received high praise, and this year it draws inspiration from underwater treasures to introduce the “Moonlight Treasure Box.” The sturdy, intricately carved wooden box symbolizes a priceless treasure chest, featuring what looks like a chunk of gold being opened to reveal French chocolate-filled mooncakes encased in gold-leaf-coated pastry, echoing the mythical tales of the Mid-Autumn Festival and adding an extra layer of mystery.

The “Moonlight Treasure Box” comes in two flavors: “Favona Chocolate” and “French Chestnut Custard,” both made with imported ingredients from France. The “French Chocolate” uses premium chocolate from the renowned French brand Valrhona, famous for using Criollo cocoa beans — a native variety that makes up only 3% of the world’s total cocoa production. Junpin’s Chef Xie Mingsong selected Valrhona’s Guanaja chocolate with 70% cocoa content for the filling, which also contains pine nuts. The surface of the mooncake is dusted with gold powder, giving it a treasure-like sparkle. The “French Chestnut Custard” uses Sabaton chestnuts from southern France, known as the “LV of chestnuts,” slow-cooked to perfection, with the filling further enhanced by traditional Chinese custard for a fusion of Eastern and Western flavors. The peach-pink crust is colored with natural red food dye, accented with bow embossing and gold powder, making the mooncake look like a beautiful piece of art.

The “Moonlight Treasure Box” mooncake gift set is available for limited pre-order from now until September 9. Each box is NT$2,500 (containing three French Chestnut Custard and three Favona Chocolate mooncakes), with only 400 boxes available and all sales on a first-come, first-served basis. Orders can be picked up within three days of purchase. For orders, please call (02) 2181-9999 ext. 3372.