Looking at vitality through the flavor of the New Year—"Three New" outlines China's Spring Festival consumption landscape

From the snow and ice craze in the North to the lantern festival celebrations in the South, from the bustling city commercial districts to the fireworks displays at county fairs, the 2026 Year of the Horse Spring Festival, with its 9-day holiday window, unfolds a vibrant new spring scene. New settings, new trends, and new flows—these three keywords vividly depict China’s Spring Festival consumption landscape.

—New Scenes: Feeling the warmth of reunion through self-enjoyment experiences.

Spring Festival is a holiday of reunion, and its meaning is constantly evolving. This year, the popularity of “traveling during the New Year” and “vacation-style celebrations” is rising.

In Lichuan Ancient City, Fuzhou, Jiangxi Province, colorful lanterns adorn the streets and alleys, and family groups with children can be seen everywhere. The “Yun Shui Jian” homestay deep inside the ancient city, renovated from a century-old residence, was fully booked from New Year’s Eve to the seventh day of the lunar new year.

In the courtyard of the homestay, easels are lined up with oil paints spread out, and the free oil painting experience activities launched during the Spring Festival are fully booked every session. Xu Shuo, a tourist from Shanghai, said, “In the past, New Year’s was just visiting relatives and friends. This year, I traveled with my parents and children, and we completed a painting together, which is more meaningful than just sightseeing.”

During the Spring Festival, tourists experience oil painting creation in Lichuan Ancient City. (Photo by Qiu Shitong)

Meanwhile, more young people are willing to pay for “emotional value.” In Changsha, young consumers are becoming the main force of Spring Festival spending. Yuefang ID MALL in Tianxin District has become a popular check-in spot for young shoppers with its unique “pan-second dimension” ecosystem, and brands like Pop Mart have seen a shopping boom during the holiday.

At the National Marine Museum in Tianjin, the “Future Ocean” exhibit hall, utilizing digital immersion and artificial intelligence technologies, has become a new “top trend”; in Anqing, Anhui Province, the Daobo Lion Cultural and Historical District is bustling with visitors, who enjoy tasting Song-style tea and NPC interactive shows, becoming favorites among tourists. The integration of culture, sports, business, and tourism is accelerating, continuously activating new consumption momentum.

—New Trends: A subtle shift from buying physical goods to purchasing services.

“Spending money to buy time and quality” makes the Spring Festival shopping list more innovative. The popularity of various new services reflects an upgrade in consumer demand—people are willing to pay for convenience, professionalism, and peace of mind.

In Chongqing, private chef services that come to your home have made life easier for Wang Yongxia and her family in Jiulongpo District: “Hiring a chef to prepare ten main dishes, including ingredients and service fees, costs less than 1,500 yuan, offering great value.”

Deng Xiaolei, head of Yuxin Zhu Private Chef in Chongqing, said the team customizes menus based on customer preferences, sourcing fresh ingredients on the day and cooking on time.

“Year-end deep cleaning” is also increasingly outsourced to professional housekeeping companies by young families. During the Spring Festival, Qingyue Meijia Domestic Services in Chongqing saw a surge in orders for its “New Year Deep Cleaning Package,” with over 60% of clients aged 30 to 45.

On February 20, tourists visit the “Future Ocean” exhibit hall at the National Marine Museum. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

A pet hospital in Nankai District, Tianjin, had over 20 cages reserved for pet boarding before the Spring Festival. Staff said that with the rise of the pet economy, services like “pet boarding” and “door-to-door feeding” are gaining increasing recognition.

“China’s per capita GDP has approached $14,000. According to international experience, the consumption structure will accelerate toward service-led consumption,” said Liu Fang, a researcher at the Market and Price Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission. Fully tapping into the potential of service consumption not only better meets people’s pursuit of a better life but also is an important way to expand domestic demand in the future.

—New Flows: The Year of the Horse Spring Festival ignites “Chinese travel” and “Chinese shopping.”

From popular scenic spots to duty-free stores at departure, from mobile payments to multilingual signage, China is welcoming visitors with a more open attitude. The Chinese New Year is becoming a shared cultural feast worldwide.

During the first Spring Festival after the full island operation of Hainan Free Trade Port, walking through popular scenic spots like Dadonghai and Sanya Bay, foreign tourists are everywhere. Shops and road signs around the scenic areas feature multiple languages including Chinese, English, and Russian.

“Group shopping tours by foreign tourists have become the norm on Haikou Qilou Old Street,” said Ling Hongwei, general manager of Haikou Qilou Old Street Investment and Development Co.

According to Haikou Customs, from February 15 to 21, Hainan’s offshore duty-free shopping reached 2.07 billion yuan, with 254,000 shoppers.

On the first day of the Year of the Horse, China implemented visa-free policies for holders of ordinary passports from Canada and the UK, expanding the “circle of friends” with 50 countries now eligible for visa-free entry.

Relying on the expanding visa-free network, Pudong Airport has created a “Celebrate New Year in Shanghai” atmosphere, with convenient payments and duty-free policies making inbound tourism smoother.

Ms. Park from South Korea took advantage of the Spring Festival to visit and shop in Shanghai. She completed the “instant buy, instant refund” duty-free process in less than 10 minutes. “The convenient policies and Spring Festival discounts make shopping in China a great experience.”

Eleven departments have introduced policies to improve the digital services for inbound foreign visitors, further enhancing payment environments with bank cards, mobile payments, and cash. Over 13,000 duty-free stores are stocked with quality products. These tangible policy measures are attracting more overseas tourists to celebrate the New Year in China.

The National Immigration Administration predicts that during this Spring Festival holiday, the average daily entry and exit travelers at all ports nationwide will exceed 2.05 million, a year-on-year increase of 14.1%.