Draco Malfoy becomes China's unlikely symbol of luck

Draco Malfoy—the iconic antagonist of the Harry Potter series—is enjoying a sudden wave of popularity in China. The reason lies in his Chinese name, where "Malfoy" sounds like the word for "horse" and carries connotations of good fortune.

The phenomenon stems from his Mandarin name: Mǎ Ěr Fú (马尔福). The first character, Mǎ (马), directly translates to "horse", whereas the final character, Fú (福 ), is one of the most important symbols of Chinese New Year, representing good fortune, happiness, and blessings. It is traditionally displayed on diamond-shaped red paper known as Fú Zì (福字).

Once netizens identified this connection, memes and creative posts spread rapidly. Draco's portrait has been skilfully edited onto classic red diamond papers, spreading across social media platforms. 

The trend has moved beyond screens. Images circulating online show a Chinese shopping mall featuring a large banner with a customised couplet that plays on the theme: "Magic awakens, attracting wealth from all directions; Within Draco, ten thousand blessings gather" ("魔法觉醒招百财，德拉科里纳万福").

Tom Felton, the actor who portrayed Draco Malfoy, acknowledged the viral trend in an Instagram Story, a check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw. The repost brought another wave of discussion across social platforms in China. 

Fans have begun sharing how they incorporate "lucky Draco" into their daily lives, photoshopping his face onto festive items and displaying them on windows, refrigerators, desks, front gates, and even phone cases.

The humour has also extended to another Harry Potter character: Lord Voldemort. His Mandarin name, Fú Dì Mó (伏地魔), shares its first character's pronunciation—Fú (伏)—with the blessing Fú (福), though the written characters differ.

This inspired netizens to create a twist on the traditional blessing term Wǔ Fú Lín Mén (五福临门), meaning "the five blessings arrive at the door." They photoshopped five images of Voldemort onto red paper, replacing the original Fú with Voldemort's Fú. The resulting pun, "五伏临门", became a viral image humorously suggesting an arrival of "Voldemort blessings."

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