At Yiwu International Trade City, China's largest wholesale market, customers crowd into a small shop searching for an unlikely bestseller ahead of the Lunar New Year.

在义乌国际商贸城——中国最大的批发市场， 顾客们涌入一家小店，在农历新年前寻找一款意外的畅销品。

They are looking for a red plush horse with a downturned mouth, a gold bell around its neck, and eyes that appear to shy away from a viewer's gaze. The toy has gone viral on Chinese social media ahead of the Spring Festival holiday, which this year marks the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac.

他们寻找的是一只红色毛绒马：它嘴角下撇、颈挂金铃，眼神似乎刻意回避着观者的目光。 这款玩具在今年春节前于中国社交媒体爆红—— 今年恰逢中国生肖马年。

Called the "crying horse" by online users, the toy was designed as a happy-faced Lunar New Year decoration, but a manufacturing mistake turned its smile into a frown.

被网友称为“哭哭马”的这款玩具，原本设计是笑脸迎新的农历年装饰， 但一次制造失误将它的微笑变成了苦脸。

"A worker sewed the mouth on upside down by accident," said Zhang Huoqing, owner of the Yiwu-based shop Happy Sister.

“工人不小心把嘴巴缝反了，”义乌商铺“欢乐姐”的店主张火清说道。

Zhang said she offered a refund after discovering the flaw, but the customer never returned the toy. Not long after, she discovered photos of it circulating online.

张火清表示发现瑕疵后她提出退款，但顾客从未退回玩具。 不久后，她发现玩具的照片在网上流传开来。

"People joked that the crying horse is how you look at work, while the smiling one is how you look after work," Zhang said. As demand surged, Zhang decided to keep making the sad-faced version.

“人们开玩笑说，哭马是你上班时的样子，而笑脸马是你下班后的样子，”张火清说。 随着需求激增，她决定继续生产这款愁容满面的版本。

Some young white-collar workers in China say the horse's dour expression mirrors their long hours and workplace stress.

中国一些年轻白领认为，马儿阴郁的表情映照着他们漫长的工时和工作压力。

It also taps into a broader trend for so-called "ugly-cute" toys, popularised in recent years by characters such as Pop Mart's toothy monster Labubu.

这也呼应了近年来流行的所谓“丑萌”玩具潮流，例如泡泡玛特露齿小怪兽Labubu等角色带动的风潮。

"These days, almost everyone who walks through the door asks for the crying horse," said Lou Zhenxian, a Yiwu vendor who has sold festive toys for more than 25 years.

“这些天，几乎每个进店的人都在问哭马，” 销售节庆玩具超过25年的义乌商户楼振仙说道。

By early afternoon, racks of crying horses outside Happy Sister had sold out and employees were rushing to restock the shelves.

午后不久，“欢乐姐”店外货架上的哭马已售罄，员工们正忙着补货。

"We will keep selling it," Zhang said. "This crying horse really fits the reality of modern working people."

“我们会继续销售它，”张火清表示， “这匹哭马确实契合现代打工人的现实。”