Chinese New Year's Eve dinner for pets gains popularity

A new trend has emerged where pet owners are ordering Chinese New Year's Eve dinners for their furry companions. According to Ms. Li, the owner of a pet restaurant in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, as the Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year, draws near, many pet owners are opting to treat their pets to a special Chinese New Year's Eve meal. Some pet owners who will be traveling home for the Spring Festival are even preparing these special dinners for their pets before they depart.

Li's restaurant has customized a Wuhan-style Chinese New Year's Eve dinner for pets, featuring local delicacies such as Mianwo, a salty doughnut. Currently, the meals for pets have only been on sale for a week, and 50 orders have been placed.

Photo shows Chinese New Year's Eve dinner for pets. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Various exquisitely designed Chinese New Year's Eve dinners for pets are selling well on major e-commerce platforms. For example, on Alibaba's Taobao platform, Chinese New Year's Eve dinners for pets are often sold in gift boxes, with prices ranging from 20 to 300 yuan (about $41.41).

A screenshot of an e-commerce platform shows Chinese New Year's Eve dinners for pets.

Li, who is also a pet nutritionist, said that she not only customizes nutritious Chinese New Year's Eve dinner packages for pets but also incorporates traditional Chinese New Year's Eve dinner dishes that Wuhan locals often enjoy into those for dogs.

She said the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner for pets sold in her restaurant costs 298 yuan per set, with the main customers being young women aged 25 to 30.

Many customers expressed that although they want to celebrate the Spring Festival with their dogs, they are often too busy during the holiday season to take care of their dogs. Therefore, they want to create a festive atmosphere for their dogs in advance.

Li noted that many people work in Wuhan throughout the year and find it difficult to bring their dogs home for the Spring Festival holiday. As a result, they visit the restaurant to have an early celebration. So far, five families have brought their pets for an early celebration, complete with themed photo shoots, costumes, and a dose of holiday cheer.

A dog poses for a picture at a pet restaurant in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)