Online festival makes Spring Festival prep an easier task

As Chinese New Year approaches, many are preparing to travel home, going on vacation, and, of course, stocking up on holiday essentials.

This year marks the first Spring Festival since it was designated by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. To cater to the diverse online shopping preferences of young consumers, Dingdong Maicai, a mobile grocery application, launched its New Year's Goods Festival.

The initiative features a virtual "New Year's Goods Street", offering a wide selection of festive foods, including individual items and gift boxes available for home delivery.

One of the highlights is "lion dance bread", crafted under the guidance of a heritage artisan from Shandong's Weifang, known for its flower bread tradition. These handcrafted, colorful breads are visually stunning and filled with festive spirit. With a soft, sweet texture and delicate red bean paste filling, they bring the taste of the New Year straight to consumers.

Dingdong Maicai has also added creative twists to other traditional holiday foods. This year, the platform's brand has introduced several innovative versions of eight-treasure rice.

Among them, the "Starry Sky Eight-Treasure Rice" is a standout. When steamed, it forms a beautiful star pattern made with a blend of premium glutinous rice from Northeast China, purple rice from Yunnan, and yellow rice, complemented by a rich red bean paste filling.

Another popular item is the green wheat bean paste eight-treasure rice, made with glutinous rice dyed with green wheat and wheat sprout juice topped with crunchy nuts for added texture and flavor.

For those seeking a smaller, more convenient portion, there is also a single-serving eight-treasure rice with soy milk and milk, perfect for combining both a main dish and dessert in one.

To satisfy cravings for seasonal fruits, the festival also offers "Good Fortune" gift boxes, featuring a selection of the season's best produce, including Sichuan tangerines, sugar mandarins and Laiyang pears. Each box is thoughtfully packaged with creative, homophonic blessings such as "Lucky Tangerine" and "Smooth Pears", adding a personal touch to the festive offerings.