Global shoppers snap up Chinese New Year goods ahead of Spring Festival

With the Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, approaching, Chinese-made products are flowing into overseas markets, carrying the festive charm of the holiday alongside the pulse of trade and commerce.

East China's Shandong Province is sending a festive selection of Chinese New Year goods to global markets, from traditional Chinese-style clothing to Spring Festival flowers.

At the production workshop of a fruit and vegetable processing company in Laiwu city in Shandong, fully automated lines are running at full capacity, processing pickled sushi ginger for export to Germany, Sweden and other countries. Orders are booked solid through March.

Workers sort and package foie gras products at Shandong Chunguan Food Co., Ltd. in east China's Shandong Province. (Photo/Dazhong Daily)

Shandong is also exporting premium ingredients to global dining tables. At a Landes goose breeding cooperative in Linqu county, more than 1,000 Landes geese have entered the fattening stage.

"We follow French breeding methods, raising the geese for about 90 days before mechanical feeding," said Ma Lijun, general manager of Shandong Chunguan Food Co., Ltd. Today, Linqu produces 5 million Landes geese annually, yielding over 5,000 tonnes of foie gras, which accounts for nearly 70 percent of China's domestic market and 20 percent of the global market.

New Chinese-style fashion, including the horse-face skirt, or mamianqun, a traditional long pleated skirt, has gained traction on social media platforms in more than 90 countries and regions.

A model presents Hanfu on the stage during a Hanfu launch event in Caoxian County of Heze City, east China's Shandong Province, April 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Guo Xulei)

Tao Chixing, general manager of a Hanfu brand in Caoxian county, a major hub for Hanfu production in China, said that the brand's products are now sold in more than 10 countries and regions. The company is also exploring new markets in France, the U.K., the U.S., Japan, Singapore and Dubai.

Known as the "Hometown of Chinese knotting art," Honghua town in Tancheng county, Linyi, is racing to fulfill overseas orders. While preserving traditional techniques, local artisans are introducing designs that align with market trends. With this year marking the Year of the Horse, horse-themed products have proven especially popular.

Honghua town is home to 88 medium and large Chinese knot manufacturers and more than 300 e-commerce businesses, exporting products to the U.S., South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia, with an annual output value of 1.8 billion yuan ($260 million).

At a flower planting facility in Niuzhuang town, Dongying district, Dongying city, phalaenopsis orchids are being washed, graded and packed for overseas shipment. A recent order from Malaysia totaled 15,000 plants worth more than 500,000 yuan. Earlier, 26,000 phalaenopsis orchids were shipped to South Korea. During this year's Spring Festival flower season, exports are expected to reach 400,000 plants.

Shandong's bustling exports reflect a broader nationwide surge in Chinese New Year goods going global.

Pastry gift boxes from Beijing Daoxiangcun, a traditional Chinese bakery brand, are reaching Chinese families in more than 40 countries and regions, with shipments up 20 percent year on year.

Frozen steamed stuffed buns from Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, are exported to over 20 countries and regions, with annual shipments totaling 50 million. Fujian Hekouwei Foods Industry Co., Ltd. in southeast China's Fujian Province has seen exports of Minnan-style dumplings to markets such as South Korea rise 30 percent year on year. Minnan literally means "southern Fujian Province."