After "China Travel" and "Becoming Chinese" sparked heated discussions on international social platforms, another buzzword, "Chinamaxxing" (acting increasingly more Chinese), has now gone viral, used by global netizens to convey their growing curiosity, interest, and affection for China. With the Year of the Horse approaching, more and more foreigners are eager to celebrate the Chinese New Year in China, turning this online trend into an immersive, real-world experience, said a China Media Group commentary published on Wednesday.
An adapted English version of the commentary is as follows:
Data shows that China's inbound tourism orders surged, with flight bookings soaring more than four times year on year, in the lead-up to the 2026 Spring Festival. Flight bookings from several European countries increased by a factor of 2.
An official from Qingdao Port in east China's Shandong Province said that a duty-free shop has recently been approved to open at Qingdao International Cruise Home Port, offering differentiated products to international visitors so they can not only feel at home but also enjoy a fulfilling shopping experience during the New Year.
The Spring Festival is China's grandest and most representative traditional holiday. After UNESCO added "Spring Festival, social practices of the Chinese people in celebration of the traditional New Year" to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in late 2024, this major cultural IP has witnessed a notable increase in global recognition.
The search index for "Spring Festival" on major overseas search engines climbed from an average of 24.65 per week to 37.41, an increase of over 50 percent after the successful UNESCO bid. This indicates that the Spring Festival is evolving from an ethnic holiday into a global cultural symbol.
To experience the most authentic Chinese New Year, one must come to China. In 2025, China expanded its unilateral visa-free policy to 48 countries and its mutual visa-exemption agreements to 29 nations, leading to a nearly 50 percent year-on-year increase in inbound visa-free travelers.
As the New Year draws near, international visitors can embark on in-depth tours to explore a vast swathe of China, from abundant winter resources in the northeast to a wealth of intangible cultural heritage in the south, and from first-tier metropolises to trendy small towns, fully immersing themselves in "Becoming Chinese."
The vibrant atmosphere of the Chinese New Year is also being felt overseas as nearly 20 countries have now designated the Spring Festival as an official public holiday, and numerous nations and regions are hosting celebratory events.
Recently, relief sculptures of "Fiery Horse" and "Galloping Horse," crafted from red crystal, made their debut at a shopping center in Sydney, Australia. Dragon and lion dances, Hanfu parades, Tai Chi, and martial arts performances captivated local audiences, drawing large crowds. For the first time, Chinese humanoid robots participated in the Chinese New Year parade in Paris, attracting approximately 100,000 spectators.
Spanish sinologist Alicia Relinque wrote that the Spring Festival in Spain has evolved from a celebration within the Chinese community to an integral part of local collective memory, with festivities being reinvented by retaining cultural symbols such as red lanterns and Chinese knots while incorporating cutting-edge technology and local cultural elements.
In Brazil, a samba-style lion dance during the Chinese New Year celebrations left audiences in awe, with many remarking that "festivals have no borders, only heartbeat."
Over the past year, people from many countries have shifted from merely observing the Spring Festival to actively participating in it. The festival has found its way into households worldwide because it embodies shared human emotions and values.
People celebrate family reunions, amity among relatives and friends, and cherish hope for the future and aspirations for a better life. This warmth, sincerity, and profound sentiment, free from the hustle and bustle of daily life, are universal pursuits that transcend borders, making the Chinese New Year travel across mountains and seas to touch hearts everywhere.
Behind the growing trend of foreigners flocking to China to celebrate the Spring Festival, there is a deeper shift: Chinese values and concepts are increasingly recognized globally rather than viewed as distant.
In a world fraught with uncertainty, China's unwavering commitment to peaceful development and its continued expansion of opening-up policies injects precious certainty and stability into the global landscape. This demonstrates a civilizational strength that is aspiring, virtuous, trustworthy, endearing, and respectable, prompting many to exclaim that "it's cool to embrace Chinese-style thinking."
A recent report by Brand Finance, a UK-based brand valuation consultancy, confirms this trend. China now leads the world in multiple soft power indicators, with its rankings in categories such as "values," "governance," and "sustainable future" continuously rising.
The report said that global audiences now perceive China as a country that offers cordial experiences and cultural resonance, indicating that an increasing number of people worldwide are no longer just observing China from afar but are actively engaging with and identifying with it.
This year's Spring Festival falls on Feb 17, ushering in the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac, which symbolizes vigor, perseverance, and endurance in Chinese culture.
When "Traveling to China for the New Year" becomes a new global trend, and internet buzzwords "Becoming Chinese" and "Chinamaxxing" make their way, people are experiencing a shared vision of "Chinese-style well-being," creating their own beautiful moments, and embracing a world where diverse cultures flourish together in harmony.
Foreign visitors surge in China during Spring Festival amid growing cultural appeal: commentary
