Visitors browse cultural and creative products at the Gansu Provincial Museum in Lanzhou. [Photo by Ding Kai for Gansu Daily]

During the Spring Festival holiday for the Year of the Horse, the Art and Lifestyle Space at the Gansu Provincial Museum in Lanzhou was abuzz with visitors, with Green Horse cultural and creative products emerging as bestsellers.

"Another one in the cowboy style, please!" requested 14-year-old Jiang Li, a young tourist from Xi'an, clutching a Green Horse keychain. Scenes like this were commonplace in the museum's lifestyle space. Some visitors bought the items for good luck, while others have been purchasing them as gifts for friends and family.

The Green Horse character, inspired by the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) bronze sculpture "Bronze Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow", has captured hearts with its unique "ugly-cute" charm. Its popularity has been soaring in the lead-up to the Year of the Horse, with the limited-edition Zodiac Red Horse proving especially eye-catching. "Our all-red 'Zodiac Red Horse' sold out within two weeks of hitting the shelves," says Wu Xiaoyu, a manager at the museum's Art and Lifestyle Space.

The Green Horse's popularity is no accident. The original bronze horse cuts a majestic figure in profile, but head-on — it's wonderfully goofy. The design team leaned into that charm, turning a millennia-old artifact into something warm, playful, and instantly lovable.

What makes this success story even more remarkable is that the little Green Horse has already crossed oceans. At the "Happy Chinese New Year" exhibition in Madrid, Spain, 12 variations of bronze horse-inspired cultural products were showcased. The plush toys served as a window for international audiences to better understand Chinese culture, receiving widespread acclaim.