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
National political advisers from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR) said on Wednesday that the two regions can further leverage their unique advantages to support the nation's opening-up and strengthen its links with global trade and investment networks.
Highlighting the strategic importance of the two regions, Charles M. Choy, a member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee from the Macao SAR emphasized that the dual-access nature of the two regions remains a cornerstone for international engagement.
"Both SARs combine deep access to the mainland with internationally familiar legal and financial systems. Hong Kong continues to function as a major global financial center, facilitating capital flows, RMB internationalization, and global investment into China. Macao, on the other hand, plays a very distinctive role as a bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, and increasingly as a platform for diversified cooperation beyond tourism and gaming internationally. China continues to signal its commitment to opening up and improving the business environment. For international businesses, this is not a moment to wait and see, it is a moment to engage strategically and thoughtfully," he said.
Clarence Chun Kit Ling, a member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee from the HK SAR, noted the specific logistical and trade frameworks that define Hong Kong's contribution to the national strategy.
"Expanding the trade network. Leveraging the unique advantages of Hong Kong as a free port, we will deepen trade exchanges and practical cooperation with countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative. We will vigorously foster emerging trade forms such as cross-border e-commerce and trade in services, continuously enhance the diversification and internationalization of trade development, and promote Hong Kong as an important hub for the country to connect with the global trade network," he said.
The 14th National Committee of the CPPCC, China's top political advisory body, concluded its annual session on Wednesday with a call in its work to pool wisdom and strength to ensure a strong start to the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).
During the session that ran from March 4 to 11, the national political advisors discussed the government work report, the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan and other reports, and reviewed the work report of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee, the report on how the proposals from political advisors have been handled since the previous annual session and other documents, achieving fruitful results.
CPPCC members from Hong Kong, Macao highlight SARs' role in connecting nation with global markets
