On Friday February 9, China’s major cities were deserted. Across the country, in towns and villages and small cities, extended families gather around tables to enjoy a reunion dinner, three or four generations together in one room. This is the classic picture of how Chuxi 除夕 should be used – the night before the first day of the Lunar New Year.
But some do things a little differently. For a growing number of Chinese, mostly young professionals with white-collar jobs, the family of choice takes precedence over blood ties. This means ringing in the new year with those closest to them in their everyday lives – their pets!
Pet food has become increasingly “involuted” as China’s pet ownership has grown
More than just kibble
China’s middle-class pet owners are not shy about how much they love their furry friends, and, for the pet economy, this is good news. As a product category directly related to the health and welfare of pets, pet food has become increasingly “involuted” as China’s pet ownership grows. Pet owners around the world are accustomed to filtering their food store search based on age range, health condition, taste, and type (eg wet food vs. dry). But in China this is just the beginning. Seasonal treats and meal sets for various holidays are now a way to show an extra level of devotion.
New Year’s dinner sets for pets are already an established product category. Online seller stock options costing anywhere from 20 RMB (2.81 USD) to 300 RMB (42 USD), with a standard bundle including items such as low-salt and low-oil dumplings (can cause severe dehydration in dogs is high salt intake), freeze-dried fish, and tangyuan – sticky rice.
“Pet New Year’s dinners have sold very well in recent years,” said an employee at the Tian Qi pet food brand. “We release thousands of bundles tailored to cats and dogs on the shelves about a month before the New Year. They’re pretty much sold out before the Spring Festival starts.”
Searches for pet New Year’s dinners are up 102% this year, along with other categories like New Year’s clothing and couplets tailored to pets. This reflects the steady growth of the pet economy as a whole in China, which is expected to be worth 800 billion RMB by 2025. The pet food market more specifically is set to grow at a CAGR of 17% between 2021 and 2026, according to a Deloitte industry white paper.
The pet food market is set to grow at a CAGR of 17% between 2021 and 2026
Going viral
This year, the trend was further fueled by a content creator on Xiaohongshu, China’s Instagram-like platform and trendsetting hub.
Going by the handle @OreoSimbaMiniBobo, an amalgamation of her pets’ names, this creator is a pet person to the core (referred to as “Ms Oreo” from here on out). Ms Oreo has been vlogging about her pets’ diets since 2021 and her bio reads: “Family of six: one human, two dogs, three cats. After months of sharing food content pet food, her posts began averaging several hundred views and her pet food arrangements developed an unmistakable aesthetic. These arrangements, usually tagged “immersive pet food assortment” (沉海式电影电餐), features intricately decorated dog biscuits and brightly colored fruits and vegetables piled on top of a variety of high-quality canned meats.
This year, her New Year’s Eve dinner vlog garnered more than 1,000 likes, attracting the attention of several local news outlets. Commenters praised Ms. Oreo says that food is his best and jokes that they are jealous of his pets. The vlogs have even inspired the development of a community of like-minded pet owners who can join a group chat to discuss the art of pet fine dining.
now, the hashtag “Pet New Year’s Eve dinner” (#Pet New Year’s Eve Dinner) garnered 4.2 million views and 13,000 related posts on the platform, an imposing figure unsuited to a seemingly fitting endeavour. Certainly few would go to such lengths for their pets. After all, can the average dog or cat appreciate the aesthetic beauty and meticulous care that goes into such a lavish feast?
Part of the family
But owners don’t really care if their pets feel the sensory or nutritional benefits of a carefully prepared meal. They derive pleasure from the act of preparing food, arranging it beautifully, and then sharing it on social media. All this is a memory of their love for their pet and brings a “sense of ceremony”. This buzzword (电影感 in Chinese) embodies pleasure through small acts of creativity, which can be self-rewarding or generous to others. Although pets are unlikely to complain if they don’t get something special Spring Festival food, for its owners, can make all the difference, because the act of over-the-top effort is the happiest of all.
