🐾 As the Year of the Snake slithered in, Wu Jing from Hefei City couldn't leave her furry friend out of the festivities! 🐶🎆
Days before the big celebration, Wu made sure her beloved dog was ready to party. She snagged a stylish new outfit and prepped a special New Year's Eve feast just for him.
\"I treated my dog to an extra big chicken leg and a can of expensive dog food for his New Year's Eve dinner,\" Wu shared. \"After all, he's part of the family. I hope everyone, including him, can be happy.\" 😊
Wu isn't alone. Across China, millions of pet owners are making their furry friends stars of the show, including them in the most important traditional festival of the year.
Trendsetting Furry Celebrations 🐱🎉
RedNote, the popular social media platform (you might know it as Xiaohongshu), is buzzing with its heartwarming campaign \"Pets Celebrate the Chinese New Year Too.\" 🐾❤️
Under the catchy slogan \"More Than Pets, They Are Family: Celebrate an Auspicious Year Together,\" pet owners are flooding the platform with adorable posts showing how they're making their pets feel extra special. From cute costumes to festive treats, it's all about the pets! 🎊
A quick search reveals over 2 million posts, with stories of pet owners taking long drives back to their hometowns with their pets in tow, and hilarious before-and-after pics of pets going from groomed to gloriously muddy in the countryside. 🐕🚗🌾
The booming pet industry isn't missing a beat. New trends like special New Year's Eve dinners, lucky snacks, red envelope gifts, and pet photo shoots are capturing hearts and reshaping holiday spending habits. 💸🐾
On e-commerce platforms, festive pet dinners featuring dishes like Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, abalone rice, and Wellington steaks are flying off the virtual shelves. Pet owners in Shanghai, Beijing, Xinjiang, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu are leading the pack in spoiling their pets. 🍲🐱
\"Data shows that sales of New Year's Eve dinners for cats are 2.34 times those of dog dinners, even though dog dinners are priced 12 yuan higher on average,\" said Sun Liming, head of the pet industry at Taobao. 📈🐈
Pet stores are also getting in on the action. \"We've stocked up on pet dinners, lucky snacks, New Year clothes, and toys,\" said a store manager named Zhang. \"These products are selling exceptionally well, especially the New Year's Eve packages. Most buyers are young office workers and those born after 1990 who focus more on their pets' quality of life and are willing to spend more on them.\" 🛍️🎁
The Chinese New Year has gone to the dogs—and cats—and everyone's loving it! 🐾🎊
Reference(s):
Pets stealing the show: How furry friends celebrate Chinese New Year
cgtn.com
