Enthusiastic participation

After that, the Dalian Women's Federation launched a program to dress trees, which attracted families and individuals.

People took matters into their own hands by dressing the trees along Nanshan Road and Qiqi Street in so-called dopamine sweaters. Many schools and businesses spontaneously knitted sweaters for trees on campuses, and outside their premises.

The sweater styles kept evolving. Some trees were fitted with miniskirts, some with cute dolls attached to the sweaters, and others had paper tags filled with New Year blessings.

"We planned this activity to leverage the federation's expertise in family work and also to contribute to Dalian's winter tourism, creating new hot spots for social media check-ins," said Chen Jing, vice-chairperson of the Dalian Women's Federation.

The two streets selected are located in a well-known cultural community that attracts many young entrepreneurs. The trees dressed in dopamine sweaters blended harmoniously with the streets' atmosphere.

"We initially planned to decorate 100 trees, but the enthusiasm of applicants far exceeded expectations, so we added 20 more. Once applications were opened on Dec 29, they were quickly fully subscribed," she said.

"Although the volunteers' skills varied, with some knitting, some wrapping, and others meticulously and professionally designing, each tree's sweater displayed unique creativity, reflecting residents' love for the city," Chen added.

Many people contacted the federation, expressing their desire to decorate trees, leading to the launch of a second group of 50 trees.

Chen said that before launching the activity, they conducted relevant research, coordinated with the gardening and municipal departments, and consulted experts.

"Dressing the trees in sweaters for a short period would not have any negative impact," she said they concluded.

The sweaters started to be removed after Lantern Festival, which fell on Wednesday.

The federation also set up a dedicated working group to repair mishaps, with two staff members patrolling the streets daily, carrying scissors, needles and yarn. If any sweaters were found to be unraveling or coming loose, they were promptly repaired, Chen said.