In metropolitan areas across China, such as Shanghai and Chongqing, lavish Christmas displays featuring towering trees decorated with shimmering lights, streamers, and presents captivate shoppers in upscale shopping centers. However, this festive embrace is not universally accepted throughout the country.
In Yunnan province, located in China’s southwest, a directive from a property management firm to its mall tenants discouraged the sale of Christmas-related items, including cards and gifts. It also advised against displaying holiday decorations, emphasizing the importance of cultural confidence and cautioning against the uncritical adoption of foreign customs.
This sentiment has been echoed in educational institutions, with schools from Dongguan in the southern reaches to Harbin in the northeast advising students and their families to be more discerning about embracing non-native traditions and cultural practices.
In a display of nationalistic fervor, the Communist Youth League’s Gansu province division encouraged its members to celebrate a domestic cinematic success, “The Battle at Lake Changjin.” This film, released in 2021, dramatizes a historic conflict between Chinese and American forces during the Korean War.
Despite the popularity of Christmas celebrations in certain urban areas, Christmas Day is not a recognized public holiday in mainland China, where Buddhism and Taoism are predominant, and ancestral veneration is widely practiced. The ruling Communist Party maintains a stance of official atheism.
A recent report from the state-run Xinhua news agency quoted an official named Wang, who called for the reinterpretation of religious doctrines and principles to align with the modern trajectory of China’s development, socialist core values, and the rich tapestry of traditional Chinese culture.
Religious tensions have historically been a point of contention, as evidenced by the Vatican’s disputes with Beijing over the appointment of bishops in a nation that is home to approximately 12 million Catholics.
A social media post from Langfang in Hebei province, situated just south of the capital, depicted a scene outside a local church where police officers were observed standing guard by a large Christmas tree. The terse caption accompanying the image read, “So scary.”
This coverage was compiled by our correspondent, with additional input from regional editor Jamie Freed.
In major Chinese cities like Shanghai and Chongqing, shopping malls are decorated with giant Christmas trees and festive ornaments. However, in other parts of China, such as Yunnan province, property management companies are discouraging the sale of Christmas items and decorations, urging a focus on Chinese culture instead. Schools in various cities are also advising against adopting foreign traditions. The Communist Youth League in Gansu province is promoting the celebration of a Chinese film about a historical battle instead of Christmas. The Communist Party in China, which is officially atheist, does not recognize Christmas Day as a public holiday. Tensions have historically existed between the Vatican and Beijing over the appointment of bishops, as China has approximately 12 million Catholics. In Langfang, Hebei province, police officers were seen standing by a Christmas tree outside a church, an image described as “scary” on social media.
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