In China this year, the Harry Potter character Draco Malfoy has unexpectedly become a mascot of the Lunar New Year celebrations.
His popularity is linked to the Chinese transliteration of the surname Malfoy — “Ma Er Fu,” which contains the characters for “horse” and “fortune.” With the upcoming Year of the Horse, this combination is considered especially auspicious.
Harry Potter enjoys a massive fan base in China: hundreds of millions of books have been sold, and the re-release of the first film in 2020 earned more than 90 million yuan in just three days.
Traditionally, Chinese families decorate their homes with red square papers bearing characters of good fortune, often hung upside down to symbolize “luck arriving,” since the words for “upside down” and “arrival” sound the same in Chinese. This year, some households have added images of Malfoy’s smirk to their decorations.
On Taobao, stickers and magnets featuring his face have appeared, while social media users share posts urging: “Share this image for good luck.”
Tom Felton himself acknowledged the phenomenon by reposting a story on Instagram, sparking even greater excitement among Chinese fans.
Warner Bros Discovery has announced plans to open the largest “Making Of Harry Potter” studio tour in Shanghai in 2027.
