Christmas craze fills Chinese malls, if not its churches

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Dale_M

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And you thought Christmas was over-commercialized where YOU live.
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There may be around 70 million Christians in China, but they are emphatically not the reason why you cannot walk down a street in Beijing at the moment without bumping into a Christmas tree, or having “Jingle Bells” blared at you from a storefront.
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In a country where consumerism is an all-embracing craze, Christmas is “a celebration for young people seeking to be fashionable and retailers seeking to be profitable,” says Xia Xueluan, a professor of Sociology at Peking University. “Christmas in China is not celebrated at home or in church, but in the mall.”
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csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2011/1222/Christmas-craze-fills-Chinese-malls-if-not-its-churches

Such is the culture we export. 😦
 
I am not anti-fun. Christmas has developed into a real run time in North America too.

Catholics celebrate midnight mass as well. We haven’t forgotten.
 
Darryl1958 said:
I am not anti-fun. Christmas has developed into a real run time in North America too.

Catholics celebrate midnight mass as well. We haven’t forgotten.
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Indeed. Yet, I worry that shallow, easy culture drives out deeper culture. Certainly here in the US, Christmas has become greatly secularized. While a nod is given to its religious roots, for most Americans in practical terms it is a family holiday rather than a religious holiday. We even have churches canceling their worship services today (Sunday) so that families can enjoy Christmas morning together at home.

However, my concern for China is not that the Christians there will lose their fervor. Their faith, and its practice, is hard won and that gives it added weight to those who have fought for it. My concern is for those who are not Christian already. I worry that a “fun” holiday will be preferred to the religious holiday.
 
Only possible good side is that the holiday is popularised. Those curious can go and look into its history and perhaps find God that way? You know the idea of God becoming man and dying for man’s sins might be beautiful for some of these people and may actually draw them in. Maybe websites in Chinese about “What is Christmas” could help out.

Even if only 1 person is brought closer by this to God, it’s worthwhile.
 
Tenofovir said:
Only possible good side is that the holiday is popularised. Those curious can go and look into its history and perhaps find God that way
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Right, however the Popes homily on Chistmas Eve comes to mind immediately. In other words the glitter and what X-Mass has become today is clearly misinterpreted.

Peace
 
Tenofovir said:
If you said that in PRC, you’d in the least be deported.
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That doesn’t mean I’m wrong:shrug:

Modern China is true to the ideals of communism in the same way that I am an Aztec goddess;)
 
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