As the Lunar New Year approaches, Chinese cultural elements spread more and more strongly globally, going beyond the scope of the Chinese community to become an international cultural phenomenon.
From New Year's parades in Europe, Tet images appearing on the public transport system in the Middle East, to trends spreading on social networks, Lunar New Year - especially Binh Ngo Tet 2026 - is becoming an important highlight in cultural exchange between China and the world.
In early February, hundreds of Chinese and French artists participated in the Lunar New Year parade on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. Leading the procession was a human-shaped robot developed by a Chinese enterprise, provided by a French technology company.
According to Chinese media, about 100,000 people and tourists flocked to this famous avenue to watch the event, turning the center of Paris into a brilliant festival space. Yingge folk dance performances, Han costume artists and traditional music attracted great attention from international media and social network users.
Not only in France, images of Lunar New Year also appear in many major cities in Germany, Dubai (UAE) or the Netherlands through promotional videos, artworks and decorations on public transport.
In cyberspace, hashtags such as "Chinamaxxing" and "China travel" are spreading strongly, contributing to bringing Chinese culture to the global public. This trend is helping to break many old patterns, creating conditions for more vibrant two-way cultural exchanges.
Experts believe that the spread of Lunar New Year is associated with the improvement of China's international image. Mr. Zhang Yuwen - professor at Peking University - said that the increase in economic strength, along with the widespread appearance of Chinese technology - such as robots or digital content - on international platforms, has opened up a new "window of opportunity" for cultural exchange.
Notably, the year of Binh Ngo has also become the focus on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. According to experts, the combination of the Fire element and the Horse - only appearing once in a 60-year cycle - is associated with meanings such as rapid change, new opportunities and accelerated life. Moreover, many videos created by AI with images of "Fire Horse" red in color have contributed to amplifying global attention.
Many other stories related to culture and entertainment in China also contribute to spreading the image of Tet, such as the toy "crying horse" due to a production error causing a media fever, to the fact that British actor Tom Felton is associated with the lucky symbol in the year of the horse by the Chinese online community. Popular cultural elements have created an interesting connection between Chinese tradition and the modern world.
