ABOUT

More than half of Shangri-La’s 100 hotels are based in mainland China, and more than 60% of their guests globally are ethnically Chinese. With the gifting of mooncakes a core part of the Mid-Autumn Festival as one of the most important rituals within the Chinese festive calendar, this time of year offers a multi-million dollar retail opportunity.

Often a very traditional family affair, or focussed on business gifting, Shangri-La briefed us to challenge conventional mooncake design by creating packaging that would capture the imagination of a younger generation currently disengaged with the predictability of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The creative idea was "The Constellation Collection", which brings to life the magic of ancient Chinese astrology in a bold new light.

Long before the current notions of the Chinese zodiac existed, a 7,000 year old world of mystical creatures and stellar forces lit up the night sky. Ancient Chinese astrology divided the cosmos into four hemispheres, each containing seven constellations and each governed by a sacred mythological creature: the Azure Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Black Tortoise of the North, and the Vermillion Bird of the South. Linked to the lunar cycle and the changing of the seasons The Four Symbols, as they were know, were the inspiration behind our engaging new mooncake packaging.

We created novel, tactile packs with a sense of interactive play and re-use, all the while retaining Shangri-La’s inherent level of sophistication and luxury.

The rotating lid of our Specialty pack allows the user to follow the moon’s lunar cycle, each step unlocking a new astrological riddle and a delectable new mooncake. The interaction brings a sense of anticipation to the auspicious 8 days leading up to the full moon, with a unique fusion of advent calendar and mooncake giftbox.

Our delightfully playful Kids pack allows young imaginations to explore and learn about the constellations of the night sky. This cylindrical packaging doubles up as a ‘star-gazing scope’ where children can look through and see illuminated constellations, learning their names as they move from one constellation to the next.

Through anchoring the designs in the mythology, symbols and riddles of ancient Chinese astronomy, but reinterpreting them in a vibrantly modern way, we found a way to connect with a new generation of consumers increasingly proud of China’s extraordinarily rich cultural past.