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.

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.

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.

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

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.

“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.

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

It also taps into a broader trend for so-called “ugly-cute” toys, popularised in recent years by characters such as Pop Mart’s (9992.HK), opens new tab toothy monster Labubu.

“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.

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

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

REUTERS

Streaming giant Netflix said Tuesday it will livestream BTS’s comeback concert to around 190 countries in what could be the largest live K-pop event to date as the megastars return from military service.

The global stars and South Korea’s biggest music act have been on a hiatus since 2022 while members completed mandatory military service.

All seven members were discharged last year, and the band have confirmed they will release a new album, ARIRANG, on March 20 and stage a free comeback concert in central Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square the following day before heading on tour.

“BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG will stream live exclusively on Netflix March 21,” the streaming giant said.

It said the performance would be broadcast live to viewers in more than 190 countries.

Their new album, ARIRANG, named after a Korean folk song about longing and separation often seen as an unofficial national anthem, will be their first since the anthology “Proof”, which became South Korea’s bestselling record of 2022.

The new album “contains a deep reflection on the team’s origins and identity”, Netflix said, adding a new documentary featuring the band’s return, titled “BTS: THE RETURN” will be launched on March 27.

Their world tour, kicking off in April, will span 34 cities with 79 shows — the largest single tour by a K-pop group by total performances and the widest regional reach for a South Korean artist, according to their label HYBE.

BTS are big business in South Korea. Before their military service, they generated more than 5.5 trillion won ($3.8 billion) for the country a year, according to Seoul’s Korea Culture and Tourism Institute.

The figure is equivalent to 0.2 percent of South Korea’s total GDP.

HYBE shares were up 2.5 percent in the morning trade in Seoul.

Asharq-Al Awsat

Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Olivia Dean, and the Dalai Lama were among the standout winners at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, held on February 1, 2026, at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena.

While the biggest categories were saved for the televised ceremony, 86 awards were announced earlier during Sunday’s Premiere Ceremony. Kendrick Lamar took the night’s first televised award for Best Rap Album.

The ceremony was hosted by Trevor Noah for his sixth and final time, combining high-energy performances with historic milestones, including Bad Bunny’s Album of the Year win and the first-ever Grammy for a K-Pop act.

What to know about the 2026 Grammys

• Kendrick Lamar led with nine nominations, including his fifth consecutive Album of the Year nod for GNX—a Grammy first.
• Lady Gaga followed with seven nominations, while Bad Bunny made history with Debí Tirar Más Fotos, the first all-Spanish-language album to win Album of the Year.
• Trevor Noah returned as host and was also nominated for Best Audiobook, losing to the Dalai Lama.
• Steven Spielberg completed his EGOT by winning Best Music Film for Music by John Williams.
• A total of 95 awards were presented, most announced before the main telecast.
• The ceremony aired live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.

Trevor Noah hosts the telecast

The former Daily Show host anchors the main ceremony, continuing his long-running association with the Grammys as both presenter and nominee.

General Field (Big Four)

• Album of the Year: Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos
• Record of the Year: Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “Luther”
• Song of the Year: Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”
• Best New Artist: Olivia Dean

Pop and Dance

• Best Pop Vocal Album: Lady Gaga – Mayhem
• Best Pop Solo Performance: Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
• Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande – “Defying Gravity”
• Best Dance/Electronic Album: FKA twigs – EUSEXUA
• Best Dance Pop Recording: Lady Gaga – “Abracadabra”

Rock and Alternative

• Best Rock Album: Linkin Park – From Zero
• Best Rock Performance: Yungblud – “Changes (Live from Villa Park)”
• Best Alternative Music Album: Tyler, The Creator – DON’T TAP THE GLASS

Rap and R&B

• Best Rap Album: Kendrick Lamar – GNX
• Best Rap Performance: Doechii – “Anxiety”
• Best Melodic Rap Performance: Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “Luther”
• Best R&B Album: Leon Thomas – MUTT
• Best R&B Performance: Kehlani – “After Hours”

Special awards and historic wins

• Best Song Written for Visual Media: “Golden,” KPop Demon Hunters – First K-Pop Grammy
• Best Music Film: Steven Spielberg – Music by John Williams
• Best Audiobook, Narration & Storytelling: The Dalai Lama

Other notable winners:

• Best Contemporary Country Album: Jelly Roll – Beautifully Broken
• Best Latin Pop Album: Natalia Lafourcade – Cancionera
• Best Gospel Album: Darrel Walls & PJ Morton – Heart of Mine
• Best Comedy Album: Nate Bargatze – Your Friend, Nate Bargatze
• Best Spoken Word Poetry Album: Mad Skillz – Words for Days Vol. 1

Grammy 2026: Key highlights

• Top winners: Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga swept multiple major and genre awards.
• Rock comeback: Linkin Park won Best Rock Album for From Zero.
• Historic K-Pop win: “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters became the first-ever Grammy for a K-Pop track.
• Best New Artist: Olivia Dean joins a prestigious line of past winners.
• Final hosting: Trevor Noah led the Grammys for the sixth and final time.

Grammys 2026: Key moments

• Kendrick Lamar wins Best Rap Album for GNX, the first televised award of the night.
• Rosé and Bruno Mars open the show with high-energy performance of APT.
• Trevor Noah delivers sharp humour and pop culture commentary in his final hosting gig.
• Sabrina Carpenter impresses with her performance of “Manchild”.
• First-time winners include the Dalai Lama, Turnstile, Lefty Gunplay, and FKA twigs.
• Artists address immigration issues, with speeches from Shaboozey, Amy Allen, Kehlani, and comments from Gloria Estefan.

Performers, presenters and tributes

• Performers: Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Tyler, The Creator, Pharrell Williams, Sabrina Carpenter, Bruno Mars, and all eight Best New Artist nominees.
• Tributes: Ozzy Osbourne, D’Angelo, Roberta Flack.

GN