The Spring Festival holiday is not only a time for family reunions but also an opportunity for "emotional spending" for many Chinese people, who derive comfort and pleasure from splurging on luxury items or personalized experiences.

These indulgences can range from a photo shoot wearing traditional Chinese hanfu attire to a premium tourism trip, or booking an expensive Chinese New Year's Eve dinner.

Dressed for occasion

Zhang Xiaohan, 20, an undergraduate in Beijing, plans to share traditional Chinese-style photos she has taken with her family and friends during the holiday. The photo shoot was done in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, one of China's oldest cities. Zhang said the photo shoot also provided her with a memorable cultural experience.

"I'm fond of Chinese traditional culture, especially traditional clothing and architecture, as their subtle and classical vibes are very attractive," she said.

Zhang usually spends around 1,000 yuan ($144) on entertainment every month, including 300 to 400 yuan on hanfu, hair accessories, and cultural and creative products.

"The photo shoot in Xi'an in late January cost me about 2,000 yuan, including hanfu rental, makeup, the photographer's on-location shooting, and some tickets to scenic spots in the city. It was a bit pricey because of the coming Spring Festival, but it was worth it. Xi'an has very strong vibes of traditional Chinese culture and the hanfu I chose was exquisitely embroidered. The photographer also prepared red lanterns and Chinese paper-cuts as props and the photos have a very strong festive atmosphere.

"I still remember when I took photos at Grand Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City — a night tour destination in Xi'an featuring illuminated Tang-style architecture and live performances. I was surrounded by Chinese-style red lanterns and beautiful architecture. Many people and tourists also wore hanfu like me, and I was deeply touched by the festive atmosphere," she said, adding that the photo shoot provided her with an immersive experience beyond other Spring Festival expenditures like buying new clothes or eating a Chinese New Year's Eve dinner.

Wang Jing, 39, is taking a weeklong family vacation in Sanya, in southern Hainan province, starting on Feb 15 and lasting nine days.

Wang, who lives in Beijing, said that sightseeing is not the main reason for the trip, but rather relaxation, as both she and her husband need time to unwind after working hard all year.

"The trip will be like a reward for our hard work, so we've booked a premium hotel, which costs nearly 3,000 yuan per night, but we're willing to pay for the good environment and emotional value," she said. Her husband has also booked a premium dinner package for Chinese New Year's Eve, costing 2,888 yuan for the family of three.

Wang said they usually keep their travel budget at around 5,000 yuan per person for weeklong domestic trips, but want to splurge on a fancy, high-quality experience this Spring Festival holiday.

Qi Chunguang, vice-president of travel portal Tuniu, said that taking a trip is self-rewarding, and the scenery, food, and a comfortable hotel can help people completely relax.

"People's spending habits have changed with the improvement of living standards, and the long duration of this year's Spring Festival holiday has stimulated people's willingness to take a long trip with their families," he said, adding that this allows them to experience the joy of family reunions and the emotional value derived from the trip.

Can you feel it?

China's emotional economy reached about 2.3 trillion yuan in 2024, with projections that it will exceed 4.5 trillion yuan by 2029, a recent report by iiMedia Research Group, a data mining and analysis company, showed.

"The core role of the emotional economy is to meet consumers' emotional needs, with the product or service's value transferring from its practical function to emotional comfort. Consumers value emotional resonance, psychological comfort, or a sense of self-identity from the product or services rather than the products' functions," the report said.

The emotional economy will continue to grow at a high speed, injecting vitality into the nation's economy by creating new commercial opportunities, the report said.

For Beijing resident Zhang Kefei, 52, emotional satisfaction comes in splashing out on high-quality takeout food enjoyed at home. For Spring Festival, she has booked a takeout dinner for her family from China World Hotel, one of the city's luxury hotels, priced at 1,688 yuan.

"We prefer budget-friendly restaurants usually, but we'd like to spend more money on a premium meal for such an important festival," she said, noting that the set comprises eight dishes including Peking duck and braised large yellow croaker.

"The set is for my family of five, and I chose it because I wish to have the New Year's Eve dinner at home with premium quality," Zhang said.

"We used to cook at home or dine in restaurants on previous Chinese New Year's Eves, but the experience was not great due to long queues and noisy environments," she explained.

"The meal set is not cheap, of course, but the quality, the hotel's brand, and the convenience are major reasons for my choice. I will decorate the table setting with elegant touches like a red tablecloth and the Chinese 'fu' character, meaning blessings, to add some Spring Festival atmosphere," she said.

Zhang believes that spending for emotional value is quite normal, especially during Spring Festival.

"The family used to be busy cooking dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve. The takeout can release us from these heavy household chores, allowing us to dine elegantly and relax, chatting with each other," Zhang said.

She said she values both the emotional value and cost-effectiveness of ordering food in, making her family members happy and their time together "hassle-free", even if it costs more money.

Pressure valve

Women and young people age 26 to 45 are more likely to spend on emotional value, according to the iiMedia Research report.

About 60 percent of surveyed consumers said they make more impulse purchases on emotional spending compared with traditional spending. Over 50 percent said they are less price-sensitive regarding emotional expenditures.

Ning Ke, 18, an undergraduate student in Beijing, recently got gold-themed nail art and dyed her hair gray for the Spring Festival holiday.

"Spring Festival is a very important holiday for Chinese people, during which everyone wishes to dress up nicely. It's a sense of ceremony," she said.

"I'm very pleased with the nails and hair art as I decided the designs. I get compliments from my friends because of the changes in my appearance, which brings me a sense of accomplishment."

Ning said she feels more confident in her appearance and can take better selfies. "It's quite normal to reward oneself after exams or hard work. Getting nail art and hairstyling for the festival is a way to treat myself," she said.

Zhu Ying, 18, a freshman at a university in the Macao Special Administrative Region, is a cosplayer. For Spring Festival, she had a photo shoot.

"The role I played is a Chinese character from a video game called Reverse: 1999. I think the role fits the festive vibes of Spring Festival, and I want to get some emotional resonance by playing the role," Zhu said.

"Traditionally, people celebrate Spring Festival and immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere by organizing family meals or visiting relatives. But for me, shooting photos and role-playing is more of a personalized celebration that enriches the holiday," she said.

Zhu said she is willing to pay for emotional value that is within her budget, as it gives her a sense of ceremony and accomplishment.

Emotional spending is not impulsive or wasteful, but meets spiritual or emotional needs in a reasonable and cost-effective way, she said. "The emotional intensity and duration of emotional value should be worth the money I've spent, or I won't make the purchase," she added.

Unlike those dressing themselves up, Yan Jingjing, 29, from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, enjoys buying clothes for her dog that have equine elements to celebrate the Year of the Horse.

"It's adorable to see my dog wearing clothes with embroidery featuring horse elements. I've also bought several horse toys for my dog," she said.

In addition, Yan has purchased decorations featuring traditional Chinese elements such as a lotus, along with red lanterns to enrich the festive atmosphere at home.

"It's a sense of ceremony for me, and I hope these elements bring good luck and blessings in the new year. I like the instant emotional value and vibes these decorations bring," she said.

Experts said the increasing passion for emotional spending during holidays is an outlet for work or life pressure. The growth of emotional spending will help create higher-quality and innovative products and services and inject vitality into the economy, they said.

"People now have increasing work pressure but limited channels to release stress, so festivals or holidays have become an 'emotional trigger' for releasing feelings or consumption desires," said Wang Wenda, director of psychological health education at Xinhua College of Ningxia University.

"Also, 'loving yourself' has become connected with consumerism, so people are more willing to spend money on themselves, even knowing products or services are sold at a premium, which may bring emotional comfort," he said.

Wang suggested developing more creative and long-term interests rather than relying on instant gratification from emotional spending. Companies can offer more meaningful leisure products during the Spring Festival holiday to meet people's needs for mental comfort and spiritual satisfaction, he said.

Wang Nasi and Li Qianya contributed to this story.