Core Viewpoint - The article discusses Alibaba's strategic maneuvers during the 2026 Chinese New Year, highlighting its significant advancements in AI technology and market positioning against competitors like ByteDance and Tencent. The focus is on how Alibaba's "Qwen" AI model has reshaped user habits and established a new competitive landscape in the AI sector. Group 1: Competitive Landscape - During the 2026 Chinese New Year, Alibaba faced challenges as competitors secured prominent partnerships and marketing strategies, such as ByteDance's exclusive deal with CCTV for the Spring Festival Gala and Tencent's revival of its red envelope campaign [2] - Despite initial setbacks, Alibaba's Qwen 3.5 model achieved a breakthrough in both B2B and B2C sectors, significantly reducing AI operational costs and enhancing user engagement through innovative marketing strategies [3][5] Group 2: User Engagement and Growth - The launch of the "Spring Festival 30 Billion Free Order" initiative led to over 1.3 billion interactions with the Qwen AI, marking a substantial increase in user engagement and establishing Qwen as a national AI assistant [3][6] - By February 17, 2026, Qwen's daily active users (DAU) surged to 73.52 million, nearly matching the leading competitor, Doubao, which had 78.71 million DAU [6] Group 3: Technological Advancements - The Qwen 3.5-Plus model features a total of 397 billion parameters, with activation reduced to 17 billion, making it significantly more cost-effective than competitors like Google Gemini 3 Pro, priced at 0.8 yuan per million tokens [3][17] - Alibaba's vertical integration of self-developed chips, cloud platforms, and large models positions it uniquely in the market, allowing for optimized performance and cost control [16][23] Group 4: Market Dynamics and Future Implications - The 2026 Spring Festival is viewed as a pivotal moment for the Chinese AI industry, shifting the focus from mere model performance to actionable AI applications in real-world scenarios [25][28] - The competition is evolving from a parameter-based race to one centered on practical applications and user habits, with Alibaba's Qwen leading the charge in redefining user interactions with AI [30][31]