英语新闻丨Dragon-related products see explosive sales

As the Year of the Dragon approaches, sales of products with dragon elements have witnessed explosive growth on major e-commerce platforms, which experts said indicates not only the strong resonance of traditional Chinese culture among consumers, but also the vitality of the nation's consumer market.

龙年将至，各大电商平台龙元素产品销量爆发式增长，专家表示，这不仅体现了中国传统文化在消费者中的强烈共鸣，也体现了我国消费市场的活力。

Dragon, or long in Chinese, a mythical and auspicious creature that is the fifth animal of the 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle, is considered to be a sacred symbol of good luck, strength and fortune in China. The purchasing frenzy ahead of the upcoming Spring Festival holiday is expected to further shore up consumer confidence and bolster the recovery of consumption, the experts added.

龙，一种神秘的吉祥物，是中国十二生肖中的第五位，在中国文化中被认为是好运、力量和财富的神圣象征。专家补充说，春节假期前的抢购狂潮预计将进一步提振消费者信心，促进消费复苏。

Data from e-commerce platform JD showed that searches for dragon-related merchandise via its online marketplace have surpassed 23 million since January, with dragon-themed Moutai, commemorative coins and apparel leading the trend.

电商平台京东的数据显示，自1月份以来，网上市场上与龙相关的商品搜索量已超过2300万次，其中以龙为主题的茅台酒、纪念币和服饰引领潮流。

Since the launch of JD's Spring Festival promotional campaign on Jan 17, the transaction volume of dragon-themed commodities in more than 800 subcategories has soared more than tenfold year-on-year, according to the company.

据京东介绍，自1月17日春节促销活动启动以来，800多个小品类的龙主题商品交易额同比猛增十倍以上。

It said products with dragon-themed elements, such as car ornaments, household accessories, clothing, daily necessities, alcohol, maternal and infant goods, and gold jewelry have been favored by consumers. Purchases by the post-1990s and post-2000s generations accounted for nearly 55 percent of the total, while consumers in Guangdong province, Beijing, Jiangsu province, Shanghai and Shandong province, in that order, were the top five spenders on dragon-featured items, according to JD.

车饰、家居饰品、服装、日用品、酒类、母婴用品、黄金首饰等龙主题产品深受消费者青睐。90后、2000后消费群体占比近55%，龙类商品消费前五位依次为广东省、北京、江苏、上海、山东省。

Jason Yu, general manager of Kantar Worldpanel China, a market research provider, said that because the dragon is an important symbol of Chinese traditional culture and is believed to bring good luck, Chinese consumers who buy dragon-themed goods are expressing their hopes for a better life in the new year.

市场研究机构凯度消费者指数中国区总经理于杰表示，由于龙是中国传统文化的重要象征，被认为会带来好运，因此购买龙主题商品的中国消费者都表达了对龙的期待。新的一年生活更美好。

Yu noted that China's Generation Z shoppers — those born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s — are displaying a heightened sense of national pride and confidence in Chinese culture, and "their pursuit of the Year of the Dragon products has also injected fresh vitality into the inheritance of traditional culture".

于杰表示，中国的Z世代购物者（即20世纪90年代中期至2010年代初出生的消费者）表现出高度的民族自豪感和对中国文化的自信，他们对龙年产品的追求也为传统文化传承注入了新鲜活力。

Dragon-themed red envelopes, refrigerator magnets, mobile phone cases, underwear and socks have gained popularity among Chinese consumers, according to Taobao, the online marketplace of Chinese tech heavyweight Alibaba Group. Searches for dragon-related products skyrocketed 640-fold year-on-year between Dec 27 and Jan 2 on Taobao, according to the company.

据中国科技重量级阿里巴巴集团的在线市场淘宝网称，以龙为主题的红包、冰箱贴、手机壳、内衣和袜子受到中国消费者的欢迎。据该公司称，12月27日至1月2日期间，淘宝上与龙相关的产品搜索量同比猛增640倍。

Among the items, gold ornaments with dragon elements saw a 500-fold increase in search volume, while searches for "limited collections for the Year of the Dragon" soared more than thirtyfold compared with the same period last year. More than 30 museums, such as the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Gansu Provincial Museum and the British Museum, have launched over 1,000 limited editions of dragon-related products on Tmall, Alibaba's business-to-customer e-marketplace.

其中，带有龙元素的金饰搜索量同比增长500倍，“龙年限量收藏”搜索量较去年同期飙升逾30倍。北京故宫博物院、甘肃省博物馆、大英博物馆等30余家博物馆在阿里巴巴B2C电子市场天猫推出了1000多件限量版龙相关产品。

The rich cultural connotations and the good wishes that the dragon carries have not only stimulated people's passion for buying, but also satisfied their rising demand for personalized and creative products with unique cultural symbols, said Hong Yong, an associate research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation's e-commerce research institute.

中国科学院国际贸易经济合作部电子商务研究所副研究员洪勇表示，龙丰富的文化内涵和美好祝愿不仅激发了人们的购买热情，也满足了人们对具有独特文化符号的个性化、创意产品日益增长的需求。

"Spring Festival is the traditional festival that Chinese people attach the most importance to, and it's also a peak season for consumption," Hong said, emphasizing that brands should capitalize on traditional Chinese culture to launch more innovative products.The shopping craze for dragon-related products ahead of Lunar New Year is crucial for expanding domestic demand and promoting the recovery of the consumer market, he added.

洪勇表示：“春节是中国人最重视的传统节日，也是消费旺季。品牌要结合中国传统文化，推出更多创新产品。春节前的相关产品对于扩大内需、促进消费市场复苏至关重要”。

Lunar New Year

春节

a peak season for consumption

消费旺季