Wealthy, blond, villainous — and a perfect emblem of the Lunar New Year?
Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts adversary of Harry Potter in the iconic book series and subsequent films, has become an unlikely icon himself across China in recent weeks, popping up in memes, on billboards and as festive home décor. It’s all thanks to an irresistible bit of wordplay.
When the Potter phenomenon reached China, “Malfoy” was transliterated as “ma er fu,” which includes the characters for “horse” (ma) and “fortune” (fu). That pairing makes him a particularly appropriate bearer of auspicious tidings in the Year of the Horse, which began this week: The new year is considered a time to usher in prosperity and good luck.
The “Potter” films inspire nostalgia in many Chinese viewers, as they were first released in China during a period when going to the movies was becoming a more common experience.
Online vendors have churned out cheap holiday merchandise plastered with images of Tom Felton, the actor who plays the character in the films, allowing anyone to take home a piece of the young wizard for just a few yuan. Even the Chinese government has joined the fun: The state-run channel CCTV-6 screened “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” on Tuesday, the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Mr. Felton, who is currently in New York playing a grown-up version of the Malfoy character in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on Broadway, has been a good sport. On Tuesday, he delighted fans in China by posting a video of himself putting up a traditional New Year’s poster with his own face on it on his dressing room door.
“He even knew to post it upside down,” marveled one person posting on the Chinese social media network Weibo. That’s because of another bit of wordplay: traditionally, the fu character in Malfoy’s name is hung upended on doors because the phrase “reversed fu” sounds like “fortune has arrived.”
On Thursday, Mr. Felton added a photo of himself standing in front of traditional Chinese couplets and more Malfoy décor.
He may not have anticipated that he would be venturing into tricky geopolitical territory, however, with his “Happy Chinese New Year” caption. Social media users identifying themselves as being from Taiwan, Vietnam and elsewhere have weighed in to criticize him for using that phrase instead of “Lunar New Year,” saying that the wording excludes them.
“Correction: It’s ‘Happy Lunar New Year’ unless you’re planning to go to China to make money,” one wrote.
Others pushed back, noting that the wordplay works only in the context of mainland China. In Taiwan, Malfoy was transliterated as “Ma fen,” without the “fortune” character.
The “Potter” franchise has long been popular in China, the world’s second-largest film market, even though the movies were released at a time when the country had far fewer theaters, distributors and box office heft. All eight films were rereleased there theatrically in 2024.
Universal Studios Beijing has a “Harry Potter” themed area, and Warner Brothers has announced it will open a “Harry Potter” studio tour attraction at an amusement park in Shanghai in 2027.
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