Sales of home-use mahjong machines have surged one week ahead of the Chinese New Year. Photo: VCG

Sales of home-use mahjong machines have surged one week before the Chinese New Year. According to the list of top 10 bestsellers for the upcoming Spring Festival released by Taobao on Wednesday, China's biggest e-commerce platform, mahjong machines have become the most popular product in the Year of the Ox.  

With daily sales increasing by more than 130 percent compared to 2020, mahjong machines are dominating the upcoming stay-at-home holiday. Sales in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Sichuan Province and East China's Zhejiang Province ranked among the top three in the country.

Other hot-selling goods on the list are mainly made up of the usual snacks that become popular during the New Year, such as melon seeds, peanuts and pistachios. 

Imported fruit cherries are also gaining favor among consumers. Young people, on the other hand, have opted for snail rice noodles and self-heating hot pot.

Netizens also expressed their affection for the mahjong machines. "One for each family, and everyone can play at home, responding to the call for epidemic prevention and control," wrote one netizen on China's Twitter-like platform Sina Weibo.