Bizarre 'moon-watching' insurance selling alongside holiday mooncakes

A Germany-based insurance company began selling "moon-watching" insurance to people on Monday, promising those insured compensation if they fail to see the full moon during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival due to poor weather conditions.



The premium for the insurance will range from 20 yuan ($3.27) to 99 yuan, while the compensation could be from as little as 50 yuan to as much as 189 yuan.



According to the unusual policy, those insured who "miss the moon" will be paid if the weather is unfavorable from 8 pm on September 19 to 2 am the following day.



The strange insurance policy will be sold to residents in 41 cities until Saturday, about two weeks before the holiday, which takes place on the 15th day of August according to the Lunar Calendar, when families enjoy the tradition of eating mooncakes while looking at the full moon.



The insurance is being sold exclusively on taobao.com, China's largest e-commerce platform. As of press time, roughly 100 customers had bought the insurance.

