China's Mooncake economy

There's been quite some reporting recently of how Mooncakes, our current mid-Autumn festival's cadeaux du jour are used as more than nosh.  To get around crackdowns on corruption and too-obviously lavish gift-giving, people have been giving moon cakes in their packaging just like normal moon cakes, but made of solid gold!
There's a fascinating report and nice lot of piccies 'n things at the TeaLeaf Nation blog here.  
Including the fascinating fact what China spends every year on gift-giving would buy twenty Nimitz Class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers!
Maybe a little golden cake ain't so bad, if ramping up the arms race is the alternative...
[h/t to my 1970's China Students Facebook group]