From the spirit of the dragon and horse symbolizing progress, to Zhuangzi's portrayal of the true nature of the horse, and to the brave figures of the black horse and the red rabbit in history and literature... As an important member of the twelve zodiac animals, the horse carries spiritual meanings such as high spirits, loyalty, and endless running, and has long been deeply integrated into the emotions and expressions of the Chinese people. The Lunar Year of the Horse has not yet arrived, but "horse" has become a hot topic on social media. This time, not only classic cultural symbols have entered the public eye, but also many unexpected "horses". They connect traditional and modern, local and global, touch the public's emotional resonance, constantly "break the circle" in the secondary creation and communication on the Internet, and gain the common attention of the East and the West. The first "dark horse" of 2026 originated from an unintentional mistake at a factory in Yiwu, China - the mouth of a Year of the Horse doll was accidentally sewn back, creating a "crying horse" with a drooping mouth and a slightly depressed expression. This imperfect doll unexpectedly touched the hearts of netizens at home and abroad: live in the present, allow vulnerability, and accept imperfections with equanimity. With the help of the Internet, "Crying Horse" has evolved into an expression symbol of collective emotions. The response of Yiwu, the "world supermarket", was equally rapid: adjusting production lines, transforming emotional demands into hot selling products, and exporting orders to South Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and other places. The "crying horse" and "losing the horse" reflect the consumption shift of young people both inside and outside the sea who are increasingly willing to pay for emotional value, demonstrating Yiwu's market sense and manufacturing resilience as a "world supermarket", and vividly illustrating traditional Eastern wisdom such as "great success is lacking" and "pointing straight to the heart". As Master Hongyi Li Shutong once said, "Everything is good from its flaws." Perfect and imperfect, exquisite and simple, are never absolute opposites, but dialectical existences that can be transformed and achieved by each other. Another piece of "Ma Biao Biao" that has touched thousands of netizens is a new cultural bud created by traditional art and the Internet. This cultural and creative pony with flying hair and an unrestrained expression was inspired by the freehand work "Such a Thousand Miles" by calligrapher and painter Qi Baishi in his later years. Although Qi Baishi rarely painted horses, he captured the natural charm of a thousand mile horse breaking free from constraints and yearning for nature with concise and unrestrained brushwork in "Such a Thousand Miles". There is great beauty in heaven and earth, and the core of natural charm is the inherent vitality of all things. Decades later, people can also see the same desire to break free from the invisible reins and stretch their nature in "Ma Biao Biao". Netizens designed countless hairstyles for "Ma Biao Biao", such as Fried Dough Twists braids and neat bangs. It is this process of understanding and creating together about the natural interest that allows "Ma Biao Biao" to truly spread his emotions for millions of miles. In the second creation of "horse" on the Internet, what is more interesting is the popularity of Malfoy, the character of Harry Potter. Due to the fact that Malfoy's Chinese name contains both "horse" and "fortune", it has been humorously "requisitioned" by Chinese netizens as an auspicious symbol for the Year of the Horse. Driven by the internet, Malfoy's image has jumped onto couplets, phone cases, and refrigerator stickers, completing a cross-border "transformation" from a literary figure to a festival mascot. This creative trend not only swept across China, but also attracted foreign netizens to participate. Reuters, the British Times, the Guardian, Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao and other foreign media reported this phenomenon, and Felton, the actor of Malfoy, also interacted through social platforms. A western literary figure, becoming the creative carrier of Chinese Spring Festival culture; The interesting expressions of Chinese netizens have attracted global attention. This is not only a vivid epitome of cross-cultural communication in the internet age, but also reflects the increasing visibility and attractiveness of Chinese culture in the context of globalization. Of course, just like the trend of "Becoming Chinese" (becoming Chinese) rising on overseas social platforms, Malfoy's "Happy New Year transformation" just responds to the folk custom tradition of "begging for favor" of Chinese Spring Festival in an ingenious way, which is far from the complete picture of Chinese culture. It is more like a window, allowing the world to see the openness, inclusiveness, and integration of Chinese culture. These cultural trends and popularity derived from the Year of the Horse may gradually fade away over time. But as long as people from both the East and the West continue to use symbols to seek emotional resonance, express themselves, and build communication bridges, culture will continue to nurture new "horses". The world's perception of Chinese culture will also shift from fragmented symbols of interest to more comprehensive, three-dimensional, and in-depth. (New Society)