Draco Malfoy Goes Viral in China

Lesson overview

A Harry Potter villain just became a lucky symbol for Chinese New Year 2026, and the reason is kind of brilliant. This news-based ESL lesson digs into how Draco Malfoy’s Chinese name 马尔福 (Mǎ’ěrfú) literally contains the characters for “horse” (马) and “fortune” (福), which makes him accidentally perfect for the Year of the Horse. Students read about how internet culture takes fictional characters and flips their meaning across borders, picking up vocabulary about viral trends along the way. The discussion questions push them to think about language quirks, cultural mashups, and the weird ways pop culture gets reinterpreted when it crosses into new contexts.

For a deeper look at the holiday’s customs and background, explore our dedicated Chinese New Year lesson designed for B1 students.