Writing a couplet to take home, tasting a freshly fried youtiao, and experiencing the joy of childhood soy sauce-making—these were just a few of the delights at the “2026 Time-Honored National Trend New Year Market,” held at the Linyi International Expo Center from January 22 to 26. Citizens couldn’t help but exclaim, “The long-lost festive atmosphere has returned!”
As a key national event under the Ministry of Commerce’s “Time-Honored Brand Carnival,” this New Year market, themed “Bringing Time-Honored Brands Home for the New Year,” attracted nearly 200 time-honored brands from 16 provinces and cities across China. It boasts the largest number of provinces and the most diverse categories focusing on Spring Festival consumption. The event featured five distinctive exhibition areas: New Year’s Eve Dinner, Happy Reunion, Visiting Relatives and Friends, Langya Treasures, and Traditional Folklore Experience, showcasing exquisite products from time-honored brands, trendy new products, and intangible cultural heritage skills, igniting new consumer interest in domestic products.
“We can’t have spring without couplets; with couplets, spring feels more vibrant!” At the event, young calligraphers wrote couplets to gift to citizens, while calligraphy enthusiasts eagerly penned their own “fu” characters. In no time, red paper unfurled and brushes danced across it, creating couplets that were either grand and imposing or elegant and refined; each vibrant “fu” character carried auspicious meanings, filling the air with festive cheer.
“The results of our exhibition are excellent, and customers highly recognize our products.” At the Yuhuang Grain and Oil booth, exhibits like peanut oil and corn oil attracted many inquiries from visitors, and the company even conducted promotions on-site. They expressed hope that the exhibition would help more people become familiar with their products, bringing them into countless households.
“The youtiao fried in this sesame oil is truly delicious—crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.” At the Cui’s sesame oil booth, visitors not only observed the heritage skill of small-batch sesame oil production, which has a history of over 600 years, but also tasted sesame oil-fried youtiao and sesame oil with eggs.
Making soy sauce is an irreplaceable childhood memory for many. At the Qiao Xi Fu booth, numerous visitors picked up tools and reminisced about their joyful childhoods. “Every household has soy sauce, but this bulk version is quite rare. I need to use it to stir-fry some dishes when I get home,” one visitor noted.
“This is more than just shopping; it’s an immersive experience of New Year culture,” a staff member remarked. The event aligns with current policies to stimulate domestic demand and promote consumption, allowing consumers to deeply appreciate the charm of time-honored brands through a model that is “observable, tangible, tasty, and playful,” integrating brand promotion, cultural dissemination, and substantive sales, achieving a perfect balance of brand and effectiveness.
