Harry Potter’s Draco Malfoy becomes mascot for year of the horse in China

Draco Malfoy, one of Harry Potter’s most recognisable villains, has become an unlikely lunar new year icon across China, as fans embrace the character for the year of the horse.

In Mandarin, Malfoy’s name is transliterated as “mǎ ěr fú”. The first character means “horse” while the final character, “fú”, means “fortune” or “blessing” – a powerful symbol found across lunar new year celebrations.

Put together, Malfoy’s name can be loosely read as “horse fortune”, making him an unexpectedly auspicious figure for the year ahead.

The wordplay has sparked a wave of memes, fan art, decorations and themed merchandise across Chinese social media. Images of a young Malfoy – played by the English actor Tom Felton – smiling from red lunar new year posters and riding cartoon horses have appeared on refrigerators, in office spaces as well as shopping malls alike.

Felton seems to have noticed the frenzy. On Tuesday, the 38-year-old actor, who recently reprised his role in the Broadway production Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, reposted on his Instagram story a photo of his face beaming from a red banner in a Chinese shopping mall.

“Magical awakening that attracts abundant wealth,” said the Mandarin characters on the banner.

The surge of Malfoy mania comes as millions across the country prepare for the lunar new year, which begins later this month. Since the launch of Chinese versions of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series in 2000, approximately 200m copies of the books have been sold in China, according to CGTN.

Last year, Warner Brothers Discovery announced that it was going to build a Harry Potter studio tour in Shanghai, larger than the franchise’s existing studio tours in London and Tokyo.

Calling the experience the “first tour of its kind in China”, the project, which will span 53,000 sq metres, is expected to open in 2027.