What are premium Chinese brands doing for Spring Festival 2026? 🧨 | Following the Yuan
Since the rise of ‘guochao’ movement, domestic brands have increasingly taken over the centerstage in consumer aspirations, which also make them role models for Western brands.
For the last three years, we have been showcasing what Western brands are doing in China for their Spring Festival campaigns. (2023, 2024, 2025)
However, since the rise of ‘guochao’/New Chinese Style movement, domestic brands have increasingly taken over the centerstage in consumer aspirations, which make them role models for Western brands in connecting with local audiences culturally.
Due to reduced budgets and the need to play it safe amid geopolitical spillover effects, Western brands have grown more reluctant to take risks, resulting in a lack of innovation in holiday marketing.
Zooming out, compared with the Year of the Dragon, marketing spend in the Year of the Horse feels more subdued. (Many people also prefer to have babies during the Year of Dragon, which gave China a tiny bump in birth rate. Total births in 2024 were 9.54 million, before falling to 7.92 million in 2025.)
2026 Spring Festival campaigns continued last year’s “intangible cultural heritage” focus.
The 2025 Spring Festival was the first one after the festive social practices was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In both years, brands widely collaborated with Chinese artisans — particularly those recognized as ICH inheritors — to signal their respect and to align closely with state-level promotions.
This year, we are highlight Spring Festival campaigns/product releases from premium Chinese brands including Documents (fragrance), Songmont (handbag), To Summer (fragrance), Labelhood (fashion), Icicle (fashion), BEAST (home decor), FNJI (furniture & home decor), An Ko Rau (fashion), herbeast (fragrance) x Pane (footwear), Bosideng (fashion), soft mountains (jewelry), etc. In doing so, we hope you get to see a wide scope of what Chinese brands are representing, and how they’re showcasing themselves.
Documents 闻献 (click to see original post)
Product: Year of the Horse limited-edition parfum “马 HORSE”, in collaboration with Chinese perfumer Jasmine Liu
Activity: Festive pop-up space in Shanghai West Bund Dream Center
Songmont 山下有松
Theme: “Gallop in Joy” (纵马逐乐)
Products: “Joy Ride” bag collection and horse-themed charms
To Summer 观夏
Theme inspired by Li Bai’s poetry: “Bamboo-Horse Youthful Wanderings” (竹马少年游)
Activities: “Bamboo Horse Market” pop-ups in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, where visitors can collect bamboo horse candies, play games and receive family portraits
LABELHOOD 蕾虎
Theme: “Together We Ride” (鲜衣怒马)
Short film combining live-action shooting with AI technology
LABELHOOD Family Portrait Studio activation
ICICIE 之禾
New Year capsule inspired by the traditional auspicious phrase “Immediate Marquis” (马上封侯, a hopeful wish for immediate promotion and a soaring career.); Collaboration with peasant-themed painter and ICH inheritor Cao Xiuwen and co-created festive artwork “Horse & Bee Monkey” (马上蜂猴)
BEAST 野兽派
Theme: “Horse Steps into the New Year” (马踏新岁)
Featuring: Brand ambassador Gong Jun x Shanghai paper-cutting ICH inheritor Gong Liang
Products: “Drunken Horse Watching Flowers” carousel-style scented candle and “Flying Horse Fortune” crystal fragrance jar
AnKoRau 安高若
Theme: “Black Horse on the Move” (黑马出行)
Products: a capsule collection for the whole family
BOSIDENG 波司登
Theme: “Flying Horse Chasing the Sun” (飞马逐日)
Featuring: Ambassador Guo Jingjing, Chinese designer Chen Anqi
Totems inspired by “Flying Horse Chasing the Sun” and “Horse Treading on Snow”
FNJI 梵几
Product: an ornament/accessory of gold-ingot shaped pony inspired by “Prosperous Tang Dynasty Plump Horse” (盛唐丰马)
Circular initiative using leftover furniture materials
东边野兽 herbeast
Theme: “Let us run wild” (手足并用，脱缰向野)
Products: a collaboration with domestic footwear brand PANE including Plateau-series hand cream, Breeze-series shoes, Ganoderma pendant, Centaur coin charm and Ganoderma repair essence water
soft mountains 软山
Theme: “Red Horse Welcomes Spring” (赤马迎春)
Products: Red Pony, Red Berry, and Red Bean jewelry series with horse elements combined with red stones symbolizing courage and steadfastness