Who is afraid of Christmas?
I came to the topic a little bit late, since Christmas has already gone. However, I still want to bring up this issue. Maybe some of you have noticed the news from China that 10 candidates of Drs' degree signed a partition to call the Chinese people against Christmas just 10 days before the Holiday. They said the invasion of the Western culture has great impact on traditional Chinese culture, the youth has forgotten about our own Chinese holidays. So they ask Chinese to fight against Christmas in specific and the Western culture in specific. The news generated hot debates in the cyber world. Although the portals announced that 60% of Chinese Internet users are for the partition, articles I can found online are, on the contrary, against the 10 Doctoral students and 2 days later one of them quit the partition.
Should we Chinese celebrate Christmas? First of all, I should give some facts that how do our Chinese celebrate Christmas. As long as I can remember, the celebration of Christmas in big cities all around China began at 2000. Before that the holiday was celebrated among a small circle of people such as foreigners, returnees, and those who believe in God. At that time I worked for an American company, so each year my boss invited me to his party.
Then suddenly, in the year 2000 I realized that somehow, Christmas has became an national thing, at least in big cities. That year I was on business in New York City for a month and I returned on Christmas Eve. I was astonished by the trees, lights on the streets, and how do people crowed in shops, fine restaurants, cinemas, and bars alike. The situation is so much different from what I saw in NYC on the Christmas Eve, while people hurry for home or last minutes shopping in the day time. I bet the streets of NYC would be deserted since people are parting at homes. Couldn't get myself and my boyfriend into a nice restaurant in that crazy day, I had instant noodles as my first meal after touching down in Chinese land.
Since then, I found that Christmas in China in all about shopping, sending gifts, parting, eating and drinking. For young people it is another Valentine's Day in December. Boys invite girls they like, sending gifts, flowers, chocolates, taking girls to have a nice meal, to bars, or cinemas or accompany girls to the crazy late shopping night until 1 am in the morning! Department stores would organize month long discount season, seduce consumers with the words like Sale, discount, XX% off! Christmas music would be played in the store, small Christmas gifts would be given, then on Christmas eve, the most crazy late shopping night would begin. The shops would offer the lowest discount on that night and won't close until 1 am in the morning.
When Chinese people celebrate Christmas, the religious mean has been taken out. Yes, there are people rush to churches on the Christmas Eve. Some of them have the belief in God, however, most of them crowed in the churches just for fun. For those most, churches are another interesting spots of visiting during the holiday, where they can finally find out how does mess look like. For most Chinese, Christmas is another day when people have excuse to shopping, to dinning out, to watch film and to tell girls that I love you.
Should we celebrate such a holiday? Should we be afraid of such a holiday? To celebrate or not to celebrate is the choice of each person. China, after all is a free country. No one can forbid others to celebrate a holiday.
I have to say signing a partition to again Christmas is a very stupid thing to do. I can't believe 10 doctoral students did this! I know they are patriotic, but I still have to say so.
First of all, Christmas in China lost its cultural meaning but replaced with commercial means. Look at the Christmas Omens, baby Jesus never appears (besides some churches). All people can see are lights, trees, Santa. So why should we be afraid of the meaningless Christmas?
Secondly, can we block the Western culture out of China? Can Chinese traditional culture be pure after we blocked the Western one? Is it wise to block Christmas in specific and Western culture in general?
No, it is impossible and unwise to block. If Chinese really began to block the Western culture, we should first of all withdraw from WTO, not holding the Olympic Games, close all western corporations in the country. Really, what era do the doctoral students think we are in? 18th century? 19th century?
We are living in an information society in which the world has been reduced into a "global village". How can we close our door to the outside again and build blockade between ourselves and the outside world?
Thirdly, do we lose our tradition after we celebrated Christmas? According to the 10 doctoral students, the youth has forgotten our traditional Spring Festival. However, which is not true. Spring Festival is celebrated, Moon Day is celebrated, all traditional holidays whether people have days off work or not are celebrated with traditional food, traditional habits, gift and more shopping.
The bad phenomenon, from my point of view is that some Chinese assume that there is a unanimous way across China to celebrate traditional events. Some articles accuse people forgot the tradition of eating Dumplings at DongZhi. Hello! Me, a Chinese girl born and grow up in the East China, we never eat Dumplings at Dongzhi. Dumpling is a culture phenomenon of the North China, which has nothing to do with me and other East China residents. We have our own ways to celebrate it.
I would rather to interpret "against Christmas" issue as a sign that modern Chinese's identity crisis.
Living in the information society, having to cope with different kinds of cultures, some Chinese are wondering: are we really Chinese? Now, we watch American movies and TV series, listen to Korean music, play Japanese games. Some fell into identity crisis. On the other hand, they also don't know what is Chinese. They oversimplified Chinese merely to dragons, the Great Wall, the dumplings, Spring Festival, Kongfu movies, etc, those culture symbols. They are busily arguing about the superficial issues such as which symbol represents Chinese best, which cloth represents Chinese best. They want to find a unanimous symbol to represent China, a unanimous way to celebrate traditional events. What they forgot is that China is a vast country with different kinds of sub-cultures. It is true that as Chinese we do share culture roots, however, there are culture differences from region to region, from ethnic group to group.
When those people failed to find a unanimous symbol and realized that they are surrounded by Western cultures, they cried out: the wolf is coming! We must fight against the culture empire/media empire! That's why the red clothed Santa was regarded as a threat this Dec.
Do Chinese need to be afraid of the old guy and other western cultures? I don't think it is time to panic. Most Chinese has the ability of media literacy. When they watch an American film or any other foreign culture product, they interpret from their own culture background.
It is the response of the government to give more class on tradition and Chinese culture, to help Chinese youth carry on the torch of traditional cultures, to help Chinese youth find their identity.
But blocking Santa and western culture is meaningless and stupid in the global village.
Should we Chinese celebrate Christmas? First of all, I should give some facts that how do our Chinese celebrate Christmas. As long as I can remember, the celebration of Christmas in big cities all around China began at 2000. Before that the holiday was celebrated among a small circle of people such as foreigners, returnees, and those who believe in God. At that time I worked for an American company, so each year my boss invited me to his party.
Then suddenly, in the year 2000 I realized that somehow, Christmas has became an national thing, at least in big cities. That year I was on business in New York City for a month and I returned on Christmas Eve. I was astonished by the trees, lights on the streets, and how do people crowed in shops, fine restaurants, cinemas, and bars alike. The situation is so much different from what I saw in NYC on the Christmas Eve, while people hurry for home or last minutes shopping in the day time. I bet the streets of NYC would be deserted since people are parting at homes. Couldn't get myself and my boyfriend into a nice restaurant in that crazy day, I had instant noodles as my first meal after touching down in Chinese land.
Since then, I found that Christmas in China in all about shopping, sending gifts, parting, eating and drinking. For young people it is another Valentine's Day in December. Boys invite girls they like, sending gifts, flowers, chocolates, taking girls to have a nice meal, to bars, or cinemas or accompany girls to the crazy late shopping night until 1 am in the morning! Department stores would organize month long discount season, seduce consumers with the words like Sale, discount, XX% off! Christmas music would be played in the store, small Christmas gifts would be given, then on Christmas eve, the most crazy late shopping night would begin. The shops would offer the lowest discount on that night and won't close until 1 am in the morning.
When Chinese people celebrate Christmas, the religious mean has been taken out. Yes, there are people rush to churches on the Christmas Eve. Some of them have the belief in God, however, most of them crowed in the churches just for fun. For those most, churches are another interesting spots of visiting during the holiday, where they can finally find out how does mess look like. For most Chinese, Christmas is another day when people have excuse to shopping, to dinning out, to watch film and to tell girls that I love you.
Should we celebrate such a holiday? Should we be afraid of such a holiday? To celebrate or not to celebrate is the choice of each person. China, after all is a free country. No one can forbid others to celebrate a holiday.
I have to say signing a partition to again Christmas is a very stupid thing to do. I can't believe 10 doctoral students did this! I know they are patriotic, but I still have to say so.
First of all, Christmas in China lost its cultural meaning but replaced with commercial means. Look at the Christmas Omens, baby Jesus never appears (besides some churches). All people can see are lights, trees, Santa. So why should we be afraid of the meaningless Christmas?
Secondly, can we block the Western culture out of China? Can Chinese traditional culture be pure after we blocked the Western one? Is it wise to block Christmas in specific and Western culture in general?
No, it is impossible and unwise to block. If Chinese really began to block the Western culture, we should first of all withdraw from WTO, not holding the Olympic Games, close all western corporations in the country. Really, what era do the doctoral students think we are in? 18th century? 19th century?
We are living in an information society in which the world has been reduced into a "global village". How can we close our door to the outside again and build blockade between ourselves and the outside world?
Thirdly, do we lose our tradition after we celebrated Christmas? According to the 10 doctoral students, the youth has forgotten our traditional Spring Festival. However, which is not true. Spring Festival is celebrated, Moon Day is celebrated, all traditional holidays whether people have days off work or not are celebrated with traditional food, traditional habits, gift and more shopping.
The bad phenomenon, from my point of view is that some Chinese assume that there is a unanimous way across China to celebrate traditional events. Some articles accuse people forgot the tradition of eating Dumplings at DongZhi. Hello! Me, a Chinese girl born and grow up in the East China, we never eat Dumplings at Dongzhi. Dumpling is a culture phenomenon of the North China, which has nothing to do with me and other East China residents. We have our own ways to celebrate it.
I would rather to interpret "against Christmas" issue as a sign that modern Chinese's identity crisis.
Living in the information society, having to cope with different kinds of cultures, some Chinese are wondering: are we really Chinese? Now, we watch American movies and TV series, listen to Korean music, play Japanese games. Some fell into identity crisis. On the other hand, they also don't know what is Chinese. They oversimplified Chinese merely to dragons, the Great Wall, the dumplings, Spring Festival, Kongfu movies, etc, those culture symbols. They are busily arguing about the superficial issues such as which symbol represents Chinese best, which cloth represents Chinese best. They want to find a unanimous symbol to represent China, a unanimous way to celebrate traditional events. What they forgot is that China is a vast country with different kinds of sub-cultures. It is true that as Chinese we do share culture roots, however, there are culture differences from region to region, from ethnic group to group.
When those people failed to find a unanimous symbol and realized that they are surrounded by Western cultures, they cried out: the wolf is coming! We must fight against the culture empire/media empire! That's why the red clothed Santa was regarded as a threat this Dec.
Do Chinese need to be afraid of the old guy and other western cultures? I don't think it is time to panic. Most Chinese has the ability of media literacy. When they watch an American film or any other foreign culture product, they interpret from their own culture background.
It is the response of the government to give more class on tradition and Chinese culture, to help Chinese youth carry on the torch of traditional cultures, to help Chinese youth find their identity.
But blocking Santa and western culture is meaningless and stupid in the global village.
posted by Beaver at 3:31 PM
