Draco Malfoy, the rival of Harry Potter, has become an unexpected Lunar New Year mascot in China.
Tom Felton is well known for playing the character in the Harry Potter movies, but now, the actor is also making an appearance in some Chinese houses, with e-commerce sites selling festive decor prominently featuring his face.
His sudden popularity is down to the Chinese translation of his name Malfoy, Ma-er-fu, reports BBC News because it contains the words for horse and fortune, ringing especially auspicious for the upcoming Year of the Horse.
Pictures show some users sticking couplets or upside down pictures of Malfoy’s signature smirk on social media in China.
#TrendingNow An unlikely #ChineseNewYear mascot has popped up in China this year — #DracoMalfoy in the #HarryPotter series. His sudden popularity is thanks to the Chinese translation of his name, Malfoy — Ma Er Fu, which contains the words for "horse" and "fortune" — ringing… pic.twitter.com/6tiGlsdOV1
— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) February 4, 2026
Merchants on e-commerce site Taobao are also seizing on the trend, displaying stickers and magnets featuring the Harry Potter character.
The Malfoy themed Lunar New Year decor has even caught the eye of actor Felton, who reshared an Instagram Story about his character becoming a “symbol of Chinese New Year in China”.
2000 && fx == 1) {
$('.footer-post').css({'position': 'absolute',})
}
});