Aspects of Western society regularly appear in China. Young people, especially, pay attention to Western fashions and tastes; Western logos and brand-names are everywhere. Nevertheless, there was one symbol of Western culture that I did not expect to see in China: Santa Claus.
I first spotted him in Beijing, with all his reindeer, keeping cool in the July heat behind the counter in a hip café. Since coming to Harbin, I've also glimpsed a cardboard cutout of Santa in a university classroom, wooden figurines of St. Nick for sale on street stalls, and Santa stickers in our dormitory. On Halloween, Santa Claus even won the first prize in the costume contest at the local bar. Seeing Santa in China begs the question: how do Chinese people see Christmas?
Certainly on a macro level, China sees Christmas as a consumer holiday. A large part of the American Christmas is "Made in China." From the decorative lights and plastic tinsel, to the tech gadgets and other gifts U.S. consumers purchase during the holiday season, China supplies the material means for celebrating the holiday. China understands Christmas in part through supplying U.S. demand.
But the United States also exports Christmas to China culturally. As a giant in the global entertainment sector, America sells an image of itself in movies, television shows, and songs. These mediums display Christmas as a time for family, shopping, and food, and downplay the religious significance of the holiday.
But there is a danger in marketing this kind of culture: it's only part of the story.
When I tell people I’'m returning to the United States soon, they don’'t seem too surprised. As an American, it is expected that I will return in time to celebrate Christmas. However, I have yet to be asked about my religious beliefs when the subject of Christmas is brought up. Instead, my teachers and classmates assume that, as an American, I will be celebrating the holiday. Similar interactions have revealed two misconceptions about the holiday: that everyone in America celebrates it, and that the holiday is essentially secular.
However, in America, those individuals that celebrate Christmas often don't just worship the material aspect of the holiday. They celebrate Christmas as the day of Jesus' birth. This aspect—of the critical religious significance—is missing from the exported version of the holiday.
Does it matter that only part of Christmas is imported into China?
No and yes. The result is a Chinese Christmas that combines the imported Western image with traditional Chinese customs. This new unique holiday is not itself problematic; however, potential for misunderstanding exists in reconciling the Chinese Christmas with the American version.
The Chinese Christmas develops a Western image of the holiday that emphasizes the importance of friends and family by adding elements of Chinese traditional culture. This process can be described by the Mandarin word ben tu hua. Ben is "this," tu is "and," and hua expresses the process of change. Ben tu hua occurs when a foreign idea or product changes to better suit the tastes and customs of the local population by assimilating local elements. A textbook example is that the KFCs in China currently serve youtiao, a traditional Chinese breakfast food—an item obviously missing from the American menu. This is one kind of ben tu hua. Christmas in China is another.
Most Chinese students here plan on celebrating Christmas by dining with friends. And, like the American version, Christmas in China also includes exchanging gifts. But the gift-giving standard is not the same as what it has become in the United States. The Chinese Christmas gift is an apple.
The development of this new “tradition” springs from a rich history of Chinese holiday customs. These customs have to do with the Mandarin language. As a tonal language, Mandarin has many characters with the same Romanization but different meanings. The words for traditional holiday foods are similar or identical in sound to abstract ideas or symbols having to do with the holiday.
Chinese Christmas apples are no exception. The word for “apple” in Chinese is ping guo. The gift of an apple symbolically represents the giver'’s hope that the recipient'’s life will be ping an—safe and peaceful. For young Chinese, Christmas is a time to enjoy the company of friends and share hopes for a positive future. Celebrating Christmas has nothing to do with religion or faith.
The development of a new holiday in China is not a problem in itself; however, potential for conflict occurs because of a gap in understanding. Really, it's a language problem. There is a danger in creating two different meanings of the word "Christmas" and then using them interchangeably. For young Chinese people, it's become normal to celebrate Christmas, and this “Christmas” is absent the religious aspect. But this religious aspect is still largely present in the United States. Furthermore, it’'s because of this aspect that not everyone celebrates Christmas in the United States.
The version of Christmas that the United States sells globally is a commercial version. Though this version is popular and also includes messages of love and friendship, it is not the complete version of the holiday.
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