The Newly launched limited-edition sets for the Year of the Horse are displayed at a toy store in Beijing on January 11, 2026. Photo: Tu Lei/GT

Year-of-the-Horse-themed products have taken center stage as the Lunar New Year approaches for different brands. Phrases playfully echoing the Chinese character for "horse" are paired with imaginative designs, fueling a wave of zodiac-inspired consumption. 

This surge of enthusiasm not only brings early festive cheer but also highlights the rising trend of zodiac-themed commerce and the deepening blend of traditional culture with modern business practices, Chinese experts said.

On Sunday afternoon, amid the bustling crowds at Beijing's China World Trade Center, a Global Times reporter observed that a variety of "horse"-themed products stood out prominently in many stores. 

At a prominent spot inside a LEGO store, several newly launched limited-edition sets for the Year of the Horse were displayed on a central table, surrounded by families with children. Sets such as "Fortune Master," "Galloping Horses Canvas" and "Fortune Firecracker" creatively blend traditional folk motifs with building block art.

A store assistant told the Global Times that these new releases have been selling very well, with the "Galloping Horse Canvas" set being the most popular.

Meters away, at a Pop Mart store, the newly released horse-themed series of "the Golden Gallop" and "Have a Good Run" occupy the most prominent display spot, drawing a small crowd of curious shoppers, a Global Times reporter observed. 

The "Have a Good Run" series, the 2026 Lunar New Year Limited Collection for the Year of the Horse, quickly sold out after its launch online on Thursday night.

The popularity of horse-themed products serves as a vivid snapshot of the rising zodiac economy. Particularly during the Spring Festival season, there is special demand for culturally rich and auspiciously symbolic creative goods. Zodiac-themed New Year products have emerged as a fresh and dynamic force in the festive market.

A Global Times reporter checked several e-commerce platforms where items such as horse-themed couplets, nut gift boxes, and apparel have become bestsellers. On Taobao.com alone, a pony pendant has sold more than 50,000 units.

Behind this wave of enthusiasm lies cultural and creative enterprises' precise grasp of festive consumption demand, as well as the commercial unleashing of the unique cultural connotations of the horse as a zodiac animal, Yu Jinlong, a Beijing-based cultural scholar, told the Global Times on Sunday. 

From a market logic perspective, the popularity of zodiac-themed cultural products is rooted in the dual drivers of rigid demand in holiday consumption scenarios and the upgrading of cultural consumption, he said.

"Intellectual property-based operations and cross-brand collaborations have further amplified the market value of zodiac-themed cultural products," Yu added.

In his view, in traditional culture, the horse symbolizes endeavor, strength, and success, which naturally carries positive connotations that align closely with the consumer psychology of seeking blessings and auspiciousness in the New Year.

On Wednesday, Kweichow Moutai's 2026 Year of the Horse Zodiac Edition liquor officially went on sale. 

According to the "i Moutai" app, the product sold out within less than a minute after its release. A significant premium has also emerged in the secondary market; for example, the classic 2026 Horse Year Moutai, originally priced at 1,899 yuan ($272.17) per bottle, is now being traded on platforms such as Dewu and Xianyu at prices ranging from 1,950 to 2,499 yuan per bottle, according to news reports. 

The rising demand has been reflected in consumption trends as well. Experts noted that the emotional resonance and the cherished pursuit of "ritual sense" — a conscious effort to infuse daily life with symbolic meaning — best illustrate how Chinese people celebrate the dawn of the new year.

The robust zodiac-inspired consumption reflects the potential of Chinese consumption, said Hu Qimu, a deputy secretary-general of Forum 50 for Digital-Real Economies Integration,

In his view, consumption potential plays a vital role in the Chinese economy. As this is the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, more policies will be rolled out to further stimulate consumer spending, he said. 

To boost domestic demand, China's Ministry of Commerce announced on Sunday that further stimulating consumption and expanding opening-up will be among its key priorities for 2026, as outlined during a two-day national commerce work conference that concluded on the same day.

The national commerce system will launch initiatives to drive spending, promote the "Shop in China" brand by cultivating new growth drivers in services consumption, and refine trade-in policies for consumer goods.

The conference also emphasized the importance of fostering digital, green, and health-related consumption, as well as tapping into the potential of emerging markets across the country.

China's retail sales rose 4 percent year-on-year in the first 11 months of 2025 to 45.61 trillion yuan, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

Retail sales of consumer goods in urban areas rose 3.9 percent year-on-year, while those in rural areas climbed 4.4 percent year-on-year, the data showed.