As the Year of the Horse draws near, the Yiwu International Trade City in east China's Zhejiang Province, the world's largest wholesale market for small commodities, is bustling with activity, with good luck posters, couplets, lanterns and red envelopes flying off the shelves. In a store for festive decorations, Chinese character "Fu" posters incorporating horse elements attract buyers to stop and place orders. Unlike traditional flat "Fu" characters, the posters in the shop are mostly three-dimensional, with a prominent "Fu" character at the top and various horse designs below. Some are made from jacquard weaving, while others even have a gallop gait, showcasing great creativity.
"This one I'm holding is our best-selling item this year. It's a horse made of jacquard fabric, somewhat resembling ancient Chinese embroidery. It even has wings, giving it the feel of a celestial horse from traditional Chinese mythology," said Qin Caiyan, a shop owner in the Yiwu International Trade City.
Horse-themed refrigerator magnets are also popular among young people. On the wall of a shop, creative refrigerator magnets are displayed, including single-frame designs and sets of couplets which are good-looking in appearance and provide emotional value.
"These two designs are available on various e-commerce platforms and sell very well. Our factory can produce hundreds of thousands of sets a day, and a single customer can order tens of thousands of sets," said Guo Lixia, another shop owner in the Yiwu International Trade City.
In a jewelry shop with Chinese red as the main color, a variety of horse-themed hair clips and headbands have drawn the attention of purchasers.
As 2025 comes to an end, the Year of the Horse will rule 2026, one of the most dynamic and spirited in the 12-animal Chinese zodiac cycle, representing strength, perseverance and unstoppable momentum.
Yiwu market abuzz with shoppers for horse-themed New Year goods
China and Russia have agreed to resolutely safeguard the outcomes of the victory of World War II, safeguard world peace and security, and uphold historical truth and international justice, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press conference in Beijing on Friday.
In response to a related media query, Lin briefed the press on the outcomes of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Russia and the 20th round of China-Russia strategic security consultation earlier this week.
"This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War. The two heads of state attended commemorations in each other's country, and agreed to firmly safeguard the outcomes of the victory of World War II and resolutely oppose any retrogressive acts attempting to whitewash colonial aggression, sending a powerful message for upholding justice and fairness in the current era," Lin noted.
"During the recent China-Russia strategic security consultation, the two sides conducted strategic alignment on issues related to Japan, reaching a high degree of consensus. Both sides agreed to resolutely safeguard the outcomes of the victory of World War II won at the cost of lives and blood, firmly oppose any erroneous words and deeds that attempt to whitewash the history of colonial aggression, and resolutely counter any attempts to revive fascism or Japanese militarism. Both sides stressed that China and Russia, as major countries and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, will shoulder their shared responsibility to safeguard world peace and security, and uphold historical truth and international justice," said the spokesman.
"We stand ready to continue coordinating and cooperating with Russia to resolutely curb the provocative acts of Japan's far-right forces that undermine regional peace and stability and attempt to remilitarize," Lin said.
China, Russia agree to resolutely safeguard outcomes of World War II victory: spokesman
