In China, only 1% of the population is Christian. With this minority, it is explained that Christmas in China does not have the same importance as in the rest of the world, although the Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, does. The Chinese do not know much about the meaning of Christmas, what we celebrate and what our traditions are, but, with the progressive influence of Western countries in the Asian country, they have been incorporating it into their commercial interests.
In cities such as Beijing, Macao, Hong Kong and Shanghai, Christmas is already present from November onwards. The reason is that, being the most important cities in the country, they are the ones that receive the most foreign visitors throughout the year. In these cities we can find a decoration more typical of European countries or America: Christmas trees, lights, decorated shop windows, figures of Shen Dan Lai Ren, the “old man of Christmas”, as Santa Claus is known in China.
Did you know that China leads the world in the production of Christmas decorations? According to the official Xinhua news agency, more than 60% of the world’s Christmas decorations are made in Yiwu, a town of about one million people located 300 km from Shanghai. And much of the production is sold in this huge wholesale market.
Many Chinese people do not understand this “westernization”, although many others follow the tradition and hang socks on the chimney waiting for gifts. It could be said that they are attracted to our traditions and have joined them, to such an extent that they even sing Christmas carols at this time of the year.
