In teh mood for enjoyment

The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20050225094507/http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn:80/star/2004/1223/ls1… In teh mood for enjoyment Shanghai Star. 2004-12-23 On the coming Christmas Eve, Che Li, a Shanghai office worker in her mid 20s, is going to attend a fancy dress ball a friend of hers is throwing at his home. "Every Christmas I do something fun and special," she said. "I know the holiday is meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus. But for me, it is an excuse to be merry." More than 10 years after Christmas was first imported to urban China, the holiday has become a big deal. But for many urban Chinese like Che, Christmas is not the religious affair commemorated in the West; essentially it is an opportunity for partying and being merry. Indeed, almost 77 per cent of Chinese who celebrate Christmas see it as a prelude to the new year, according to a survey recently conducted by the Social Science Institute of China (SSIC). In addition, the survey reveals that 65 per cent of respondents view Christmas as a good excuse to meet friends and improve connections, 54 per cent see it as a good time to relax after a year's hard work and 22 per cent see it as a chance to learn about foreign norms and customs. Christmas is not seen as a family day like it is in the West. Only 4 per cent of respondents want to spend the day with their families. The majority would rather celebrate with friends, colleagues or lovers. As a matter of fact, Che's parents would hardly understand what all the fuss was about if she were to celebrate the day with them. Eighty-seven per cent of Chinese who celebrate Christmas are under the age of 40, while those aged above 40 are more committed to Chinese traditional holidays such as the Spring Festival, reveals the SSIC survey. As for how to celebrate the day, 21 per cent of respondents go to public places of entertainment, 17 per cent opt for dining out and chatting the time away. The next most popular activities are clubbing, shopping attending church events and going to the cinema. Surprisingly, the way Christmas is celebrated in urban China is largely accepted by people who are supposed to take it less frivolously. American Wanda Fox, who works in Shanghai, feels what Chinese are doing about Christmas is "quite right", although for her it is very much a family holiday. "I have found that Chinese are happily able to adopt others' holidays, like Valentines Day, Easter, Christmas, and even Halloween, as long as they can have fun," she said. A priest at Shanghai's Community Church expressed no objection to what he calls "secularization of Christmas". "Though Christmas is about a serious topic to us, I personally have no objection to non-believers making the most out of it in their own way," he said.

Exceptions Though the commercial and cultural aspects of Christmas have become almost overwhelming, there are still Chinese who go for the religious side of the holiday. Some 11 per cent of those in Christmas crowds would like to attend church events at Christmas, reveals the SSIC survey. Shanghai native Steven is among an estimated 10 million baptized Christians in China. Baptized almost 10 years ago, he has been offering voluntary services to the city's Community Church every Christmas for years now. A cameraman by profession, Steven this year has been asked to record musical services to be offered on Christmas Eve. "It is a shame if people just come and go taking a glimpse of the ceremony without knowing the religious significance of it," he said. "Happily, there are people who become believers following a 'fashionable' church visit," he added. The Community Church is again trying to make the day a "merry" holiday for followers and non-believers alike, said a staff member there. Briton Nick Land, who now works in Shanghai, said he likes Christmas in China better because of this "merry" factor. "I have found the attitude towards religion among Chinese is more relaxed and inclusive, and less repressive and solemn, which is reflected in the way Christmas is celebrated," he said. Masses and musical services on Christmas themes offered by the Community Church have proved to be very popular lately. Last Christmas Eve, queues started appearing from mid day and by 6:30 in the evening, the Church was packed to more than its full capacity. Still exceptions Christmas is taking urban Chinese by storm, albeit not all of them. We are not talking about people aged above 40 who show little interest, according to the SSIC survey. We are talking about fashion-prone Chinese who manage to keep their cool in the Christmas rage. Lin Ruxuan, a journalist based in Beijing is one of them. "Christmas, like all the other popular holidays, is a completely commercialized event, in which the public are manoeuvred into consuming, consuming and consuming," she said. Her view seems to be supported by researchers in the field. A researcher surnamed Wu at China Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) argues that the Christmas rage in China has been brought about by businesses and the media. "The two, in perfect co-operation, have inspired expectations and desires in the general public at Christmas time," he said. On the whole, fewer people than in the past boycott Christmas on the grounds that it is a "cultural intrusion", according to a survey conducted by the SINA website. Another CASS researcher, surnamed He, said Chinese celebrating Christmas was a sign the nation had become more receptive to the outside world.

"China has opened up not just in economic terms but culturally as well," he said. "As a result, China has opened up to Western holidays, such as Christmas." Copyright by Shanghai Star.