Chinese New Year 2012: Monday, January 23, 2012

Dragon Dance - an essential part of Chinese New Year

The year to come belongs to the Dragon. Being the only legendary animal in the zodiac calender, the dragon is considered the supreme one amongst them. The dragon holds great symbolic value – historically symbolising the Emperor of China and presently, the culture of the Chinese. It is a taboo to disfigure a depiction of a dragon. 

In Hong Kong, the Dragon is part of the design of Brand Hong Kong, a symbol used to promote Hong Kong as an international brand

Will it be Hong Kong’s year during the year of the dragon?

We definitely feel so (it’s always great to be optimistic no?) The dragon can be actively seen all around us.  Setting ODM HQ here allows us to enjoy many great Dragons. Hong Kong is home to the Dragon’s Back Hiking Trail – voted the best urban hike trail, perfect for hiking enthusiasts or those who wish to escape the city. 

The Dragon Garden adds to the list as the biggest private park in Hong Kong integrating architectural design of the East & the West. Its main feature is a 50 foot long dragon in a pond..

Hong Kong hosts the Dragon Boat Carnival – featuring fierce international dragon boat races and jolly beer garden entertainment. This year, the event also saw a record breaking, world’s longest dragon boat exhibited.

For foodies, we also have our very own authentic Dragon Beard Candy. This might indeed be our year…

There will definitely be huge celebrations and commemorations in advance of the Year of the Dragon, but businesses need to pay attention too.   Factories will be closed for 2-4 weeks starting slightly before 23rd of January.  Factory workers will be busy preparing, looking to go back to their home villages to spend this joyous occasion with their family.

Things to note if you are working in/with factories:

  • Holidays can last for 2-4 weeks & some factories may even be closed 1 week earlier.
  • High Employee Turnover is typical when companies pay annual bonuses to workers. Staff who know your project at the back of their hands may have already left. Takeovers may cause quality problems and consistent quality control has to be regulated.
  • Factories without much business may choose to extend their holidays to cut down costs.
  • Migrant workers will be travelling home – Travel in China at this point of time will be very chaotic.
  • You may find some factories staying open on rare occasions but expect sky high overtime fees.

Dragon iPhone Cases - Hot Gift Choice

Giving Gifts to Chinese – Dragon Related

Not only timing your marketing campaign well, but understanding the kind of promotional products to give away is important as well. Since dragons signify power, strength and good fortune, it is always nice to receive it as a form of a gift as you are wishing the recipient good luck and happiness. Consider these options for your next marketing campaign:

You can also consider promotional red packets and promotional lunar new year calender which are definitely apt to give away during this period of time.

As mentioned in our previous posts, ODM advises you to start ordering early to ensure smooth productions.

Counting down – this is over 6 months notice that Chinese New Year is coming. It is about time the marketing departments start cracking on promotional product ideas to welcome the Lunar New Year.

Gong Xi Fa Chai!

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