short take · china strategy

the pet mooncake: when human rituals become pet rituals

written by marc-olivier arnold3 october 2026

apparently, the dog gets a mooncake now too. living in china, pets are suddenly part of almost everything: malls, cafés, hotels, travel, birthdays, wellness. now even mid-autumn festival. this year, while traditional mooncake sales seemed a little softer, pet mooncakes were reportedly selling out at sam's club. from overseas, it can look like another funny china consumer trend. but the more interesting part is how quickly human rituals are becoming pet rituals. and that may be where china's pet economy gets more interesting too: not just more products for pets, but more human occasions being redesigned around them. if there's an occasion for us, sooner or later it'll probably become one for pets too. including, apparently, mid-autumn festival.