Festive souvenirs

Horse toys are popular

Of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, the horse, or ma, is undoubtedly one of the most popular, not only because of its robust and energetic image, but also due to a cultural association that links the animal to success.

A humorous version of expressing one's best wishes has emerged online in China this year, where netizens have started posting various photos of a toy horse carrying something on its back, such as a stack of bank notes, a pair of elephants, a mini car, or a house. A visual pun on the word "mashang", meaning "immediately" or literally "on the horse", the playful pictures mean "May you have money/ a boyfriend or girlfriend/ a car/a house immediately".

Along with the playful pictures online, toy horses carrying something on their back are also popular items with customers in the toy markets.

"I spent 400 yuan and bought a dozen ‘mashang chenggong' toys. I will give them to classmates as gifts, and hope their wishes will be immediately fulfilled," says Pan Ye, a university freshman from Beijing.