Mooncakes to be put into the oven. [Photo/VCG]

Since 2013, when the central government's anti-corruption drive led to a dramatic decrease in government-paid junkets and officials accepting gifts, the mooncake industry has experienced a sharp plunge, down by 15 to 20 percent nationally.

But Chen said the campaign had brought new life to the mooncake industry, "bringing real consumers back", instead of only those buying gifts.

"A typical example is the rise of fresh-baked mooncakes, which are precisely targeted at consumers who are buying them to feed themselves," she said.

Chen estimated that half the mooncake makers in Shanghai now offer fresh-baked mooncakes, up from a single-digit percentage just three years ago.