Rabbit-themed commodities become increasingly popular as Chinese New Year nears

Many Chinese merchants have rolled out rabbit-themed commodities recently, which have become increasingly popular among consumers as the Chinese Year of the Rabbit nears.

Rabbit-shaped toys are on sale in a supermarket in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province. (Taiyuan Evening News/Li Xiaolin)

Commodities featuring rabbit elements, such as apparel, accessories, and toys are currently on sale in a shopping mall in Jinan city, east China's Shandong Province. Some sportswear brands have combined rabbit images with many other auspicious elements such as fancy carp. In jewelry shops, products with rabbit symbols sold like hotcakes.

Similarly, the huge popularity of rabbit-themed products can be seen on online shopping platforms. Consumers are buying ornaments and Chinese New Year decorations featuring the rabbit, including lanterns, calendars, and Chunlian, also known as Spring Festival couplets, either for themselves or as gifts to others. The unit price of these products is usually less than 100 yuan (about $14.76).

Statistics from one e-commerce platform show that the search volume for woollen sweaters featuring cute rabbit designs has grown 28 times year on year. "I have sold around 30 sets of festive outfits with rabbit designs online in recent days," explained Shu Qiuhong, who runs a store that sells Hanfu, the traditional Han Chinese clothing, in Jinan. Shu said most of the festive outfits that she sells feature rabbit themes, complemented by images of persimmons and flowers.

"The majority of the buyers are mothers who bought the clothes for their children. I also have seen some young clients, who bought them for themselves. They can take photos or go shopping wearing these clothes," Shu said. 　

Well-known museums in China, such as the Palace Museum in Beijing and Dunhuang Museum in Dunhuang city, northwest China's Gansu Province, have also launched a number of cultural and creative products incorporating rabbit designs.

The 12 Chinese zodiac signs are not just images of animals, but have become a cultural icon for the Chinese people, and have provided inspiration for designers, according to Zhang Peiyuan, deputy dean of the School of Visual Communication Design under the Shandong University of Art and Design. Consumers love buying products featuring zodiac signs to wish for happiness in the New Year.