Cultural Clash: China's Stance on Christmas Sparks Controversy
While giant Christmas trees bedecked with lights and festive ornaments adorn malls in major Chinese cities, a controversial sentiment against the celebration of Christmas has emerged in various regions of the country. In southwest Yunnan province, a property management company issued a notice urging shopping mall tenants to abstain from selling Christmas cards and presents, as well as refraining from hanging decorations, citing a caution against blindly following foreign traditions.
Similar sentiments were echoed in schools across the country, from Dongguan in the south to Harbin in the northeast, where students and parents were discouraged from embracing foreign traditions without careful consideration. In Gansu province in China's northwest, the local branch of the Communist Youth League advocated celebrating "The Battle at Lake Changjin," a 2021 Chinese film depicting a historic confrontation between the Chinese People's Voluntary Army and U.S. forces during the Korean War.
China, while not explicitly banning Christianity or Christian worship, closely manages all permitted religions amid concerns about foreign influences. Although Christmas Day is not a public holiday in mainland China, and the Communist Party officially remains atheist, the celebration of foreign holidays raises questions about cultural identity and adherence to domestic traditions.
Wang Huning, the fourth-ranked member of the party's powerful Politburo Standing Committee, emphasized the need for Christian groups to adhere to the "sinicisation of Christianity." He urged interpreting doctrines and rules in line with contemporary China's development, core socialist values, and traditional Chinese culture, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
The Vatican has previously clashed with Beijing over China's unilateral appointment of bishops, highlighting ongoing tensions between religious practices and state control. In 2018, Langfang, a city in Hebei province, imposed a blanket ban on public displays for Christmas and the sale of related items to "maintain social stability."
Contrastingly, China is actively promoting its culture on the global stage, projecting its soft power through the export of traditions such as those associated with the Spring Festival, also known as Lunar New Year. While China restricts foreign influences on domestic celebrations, it is eager for the world to embrace its cultural ideas.
Responding to the recent designation of the Spring Festival as a floating U.N. holiday, a foreign ministry spokesperson stated, "We would like to celebrate the Spring Festival with the whole world," emphasizing the festival's themes of joy, harmony, and peace. The dichotomy in China's approach reflects the complex interplay between tradition, global influence, and the assertion of cultural identity.
