While the West struggles to keep Christ in Christmas, it seems millions of Chinese have started celebrating his birth as well, at least in a peripheral sort of way. While not everyone is aware that Christmas is Christian holiday and that it’s the birthday of the son of God, Christmas decorations abound and you see far more shop attendants and random passersby wearing Santa hats than you would expect from a country whose government is officially atheist and whose number of Christian citizens is somewhere between 4-50 million. While 50 million may seem like a lot, that’s only 3.5% of China’s total population. And while some may assume that this is a triumph of savvy marketers looking to tap the world’s largest group of potential holiday shoppers, most Chinese celebrate by hanging with friends, not by spending extravagant sums on gifts. Though Christmas is a public holiday in Hong Kong it’s not on the mainland, and there’s really far more Christmas cheer – in the form of music, decorations and the like, than actual Christmas celebration. Is it Christmas in China great, vulgar, a good deal for homesick expats… we asked you:

What do you think about the popularity of Christmas in China?

Perspectives seeks to promote dialogue and cross-cultural understanding by featuring Chinese and foreign responses to a single question. Email us to be added to our weekly question mailing list or to suggest questions of your own and feel free to add your perspective in the comments section below.

Pretty inappropriate, really. Christmas is a religious holiday and 99% of the people celebrating it in China aren’t Christian. I really don’t that’s being properly respectful. If Brits decided Tomb Sweeping Day was a fun time to hang out with friends and do all sorts of things that have nothing to do with the culture or honoring ancestors I think Chinese people would be rather upset.
L / UK

As a Chinese whose major is Chinese history I feel the popularity of Christmas is a pity. China has many rich traditions and young people forget them to celebrate Christmas that they saw in the movies although it has no meaning for us. Better to learn about our own culture from our elders before they die so we can carry on.
T / China

As a Jew I hate it. It’s bad enough to have to put up with endless Christmas music and decorations from people back home who at least have some vague connection to the weird holiday that is Christmas. Coming all the way to China to find the same stuff is annoying and frankly, disrespectful to everyone involved: it disrespects non-Christians who don’t want to hear Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer ever again and it disrespects Christians who do care about it. It’s also disrespectful to Chinese culture. If I went and started celebrating Christmas it would be wrong, Chinese people celebrating a totally unrelated holiday is nullifying their own beliefs and traditions.
J / US

I don’t know why everyone is so hard on Chinese people who love Christmas. They’ve been celebrating Jesus’ birth for 5,000 glorious years.
W / South Africa

Christmas is a fun time to be with friends. We don’t buy gifts but have fun together. I think it’s very nice.
X / China

I guess I’m agnostic about it. It’s mostly a secular holiday in the West anyway, I mean how many people do you know that go to Christmas mass, so if Chinese want to wear Santa hats and celebrate another holiday but having fun together, why not?
R / US

I don’t see how the popularity can account for anything other than China is a country morally and culturally bankrupt. If China is so great and invented so much great stuff then why are they celebrating someone else’s holiday and not even celebrating it right at that!?
S / UK

Who brought Christmas to China? Is it movies? Companies? Religious people?
S / China

How is Chinese Christmas any different from celebrating Dragon Festival in Canada with a big parade attended by loads of non-Chinese who know nothing about China? No festivals or holidays have meaning anymore, it’s all commerce, entertainment and an excuse to stuff your face and get wasted. The more the merrier I say!
M / Canada
 

Related Links
Sheng Dan Kuai Le: Christmas Chinese-Style
Christmas Guide 2009: How to Celebrate Christmas In Beijing
Festive Fun: Christmas and New Year in Shanghai

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