Tourists visit the Qianmen pedestrian street in Beijing on February 1, 2026. Photo: VCG

With red plush horses stamped with the slogan "wishing you instant wealth" appearing on backpack zippers, Chinese youngsters rushing to snap up the limited-edition "full horsepower" blind box series that capture their Chinese New Year aspirations, and the "crying horse" meme dolls going viral on Chinese social media, the rich offerings in zodiac-related cultural products have been spurring a new consumption spree across China as the Year of the Horse approaches.

The fervent wave of zodiac-related spending offers not only an important window into gauging China's cultural and festive consumption vitality, it also paints a vivid picture of a diverse, multi-layered, and dynamic consumer market that is embracing a broader trend of upgrading, with shoppers prioritizing purchases for emotional resonance and cultural roots - just as playful cultural symbols offer both shared cultural identity and heartfelt companions for the Chinese New Year, observers said.

Riding the momentum of horse-themed consumption, this year's Spring Festival is poised to unleash even greater spending potential. Meanwhile, the rollout of multiple pro-consumption measures - combined with abundant cultural offerings - will further unlock domestic demand, signaling a strong start for the consumer market throughout 2026, analysts said.

'Horse' on hot sales

Across downtown Beijing's shopping malls, the Global Times noticed that "a herd of horses has arrived," as a variety of brick-and-mortar stores have rolled out an array of horse-themed cultural products and festival decorations, luring in crowds of enthusiastic shoppers.

A salesperson at jewelry-maker Chow Tai Seng's store in Beijing's Chaoyang district said that its New Year-edition "Enamel Tang dynasty Horse" series, which features exquisitely rounded and full-bodied craftsmanship that highlights a "prosperously plump" aesthetic, has been a hot seller in recent months.

China's toy producer Pop Mart has also released the 2026 New Year-edition blind box plush keychain series themed "full horsepower," which features eight popular IP characters including Labubu and Dimoo. A salesperson at a Pop Mart store in Beijing told the Global Times that the blind box series is "very popular," with many young consumers having walked in to make purchase inquiries. The series has already been sold out in both online and offline channels to date.

The Labubu figure in the horse zodiac-themed blind box by Pop Mart Photo: VCG

Chinese consumers have been actively embracing those horse-themed campaigns. A 30-something white-collar worker surnamed Huang told the Global Times that she has just spent over 1,000 yuan ($144.4) purchasing a dozen horse cultural products, including a Jellycat horse stuffed toy and zodiac bracelets for family members.

New trend

The remarks from Chinese consumers vividly mirror a diverse consumption trend ahead of the Spring Festival, under which shopping for popular zodiac commodities carries the dual significance of creating a festive mood and fulfilling emotional value. 

According to analysts, this trend comes as China's consumer market is undergoing an upgrade, marked by growing patterns of segmentation, emotionalization, and symbolization that give rise to more diversified consumption scenarios. 

In tandem with the shopping spree, major manufacturing bases for small commodities and toys across China have experienced a demand peak ahead of the Spring Festival. Data from logistics platform Huolala showed that freight orders for small merchandise from Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province - dubbed the world's supermarket - have jumped by 22.2 percent year-on-year since mid-January.

Horse-themed fabric ornament made by Wu Liang, a Yiwu-based trendy accessories manufacturer. Photo: Courtesy of Wu Liang

Wang Gong, marketing director of Huolala, said that the company learned that this year, one of the main shifts in consumption patterns is that Chinese consumers are no longer satisfied with "one-size-fits-all zodiac merchandise," but are showing greater interest in personalized cultural designs. 

Wang pointed in particular to the skyrocketing orders in Yiwu factories for "crying horse." Originally a defective product, the meme quickly swept across social media with its pitiful expression and was jokingly dubbed "don't be unhappy horse" by Chinese netizens, sparking a buying frenzy for "crying horse" toys.

Tian Yun, an economist based in Beijing, told the Global Times that as the Chinese zodiac serves as a cultural code deeply engraved in Chinese life, consumers' interests in horse-themed products also reflect the Chinese younger generation's rising cultural identification and confidence. Meanwhile, various brands' innovations in IP development and cross-industry collaboration have infused the traditional symbols with new vitality in a modern context.

"Domestic demand continues to be a key engine of economic growth this year. The bunch of measures rolled out by the government to stimulate consumer spending will help amplify this shopping momentum right through the Spring Festival - signaling a strong and promising start to the year," Tian said.