With just over a month to go before the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse, museums across Beijing have started preparing "New Year merchandise" — creative cultural products inspired by the Year of the Horse. This weekend could be a good time to visit a museum and pick out a festive gift.

The Natural History Museum of China has introduced the "Subway Pony" (地铁小马) soft toys. Inspired by specimens from the museum's collection, including the Przewalski's horse and the Jutland horse, the designs reimagine these animals in a playful, anthropomorphic style.

Drawing inspiration from its collection of cultural relics, the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing (Capital Museum East Branch) has launched nearly 100 Year-of-the-Horse-themed souvenirs, covering categories such as fridge magnets, plush toys, jewelry, and household items.

The Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum has launched a winter edition of the Central Axis-themed flowing-sand fridge magnet. Featuring hand-drawn images of 15 heritage components along Beijing's Central Axis integrated into the Chinese characters for Beijing, the design vividly showcases the city's rich cultural relics.

At the Beijing Arts and Crafts Museum, the best-selling Ma Dwen Dwen (马墩墩), a zodiac-themed cultural IP whose design echoes the style of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen, has expanded the line with new plush toys, badges, fridge magnets, and key chains.

The Xu Beihong Memorial Museum has launched the "Running Horse" (奔马) series, incorporating images from Xu Beihong's horse paintings into products such as fridge magnets, notebooks, stickers, and other products. The collection conveys the auspicious symbolism of perseverance and forward momentum.

The Administrative Office of Beijing White Dagoba Temple has unveiled the "Miaoying Fengma" (妙应风马) (the term "fengma" refers to a flying horse, which is a symbol of Tibetan Buddhism) decorative fridge magnet, which ingeniously integrates the flying horse's image with elements of the White Dagoba. It has also produced the "Instant Wealth - Auspicious White Dagoba" (马上有钱·吉祥白塔) plush pendant. The horse image is derived from a thangka (a Tibetan Buddhist scroll painting on cotton or silk) in the temple's collection and paired with a cartoon-style White Dagoba, adding a lighthearted festive touch.

Meanwhile, the Lao She Memorial has introduced a scented sachet titled "Happy Persimmon on Horseback" (马上有喜柿). Inspired by the persimmons in the "Red Persimmon Courtyard" (丹柿小院), once owned by Lao She, the design features a round, plush horse. In Chinese, "happy persimmon" is a homophone for "happy event," making it a charming symbol of good fortune that visitors can carry with them.

(Source: Official WeChat account of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism)