Should China ban Christmas?

It is not just the face of Chinese culture that is changing, the west also has been influenced by Asian culture and this impact is becoming more and more evident in the west on a daily basis. We have the otaku sub-culture imported from Japan still rampant in the west, and as a by-product of this we have cosplay events all over. We have tai chi classes and Chinese medicine and acupuncture. We have Buddhist teachings, Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Diwali from India, Ramadan and Eid from the Muslim countries. We have Black Rights Week and the Mela festival in my city (a festival of international culture in Glasgow). We have people from the African nations to display their own countries fantastic cultures. Now you may say that our traditional culture is being destroyed, but I don’t see culture as a static concept, I see it as an ever –evolving, ever-changing concept. From William the Conqueror, who in 1066 conquered England and changed the face of its culture forever, to more contemporary examples, I see this not as something that takes away from our own culture, but enriches our culture even more so.  

Below are some examples of the many displays of Asian cultures imported to Britain. 

In Changsha, central China the following protests received widespread media attention from the west. I think this is a bad idea for the image of China. At a time when China is set to become a major player in the world it should embrace foreign cultures, especially if it wishes for foreign countries to also accept Chinese culture. It is the diplomatic approach to globalization not only of economies but of cultures and China will only benefit from this, not to mention that China makes a lot of money in the sales of Christmas products. Seventy percent of Christmas decorations are made in China and it is big business here.

Furthermore, whether Chinese people like it or not, Christianity is becoming a big influence. with underground churches popping up all over the place. With 100 million members, membership in Christianity is larger than the membership of the Communist Party, which is sitting at around 85 million. Christmas is a Christian holiday and is a big part of these 100 million lives. To deny them this will outrage many people and could potentially create more problems than it solves. The peaceful and riot-free way out of this is simply to live and let live. 

From my experiences in Britain, Chinese culture is becoming more and more popular and common. We have embraced Chinese culture in a big way and all the major festivals are celebrated. Please, to those who oppose Christmas in China, it is not going to take over your culture. This is simply a lack of understanding combined with anti-western sentiment. Don't become the grinch and steal Christmas, we respect your culture in our countries, it's only fair if you now reciprocate. 

For those who are interested in seeing how Chinese festivals are celebrated in Britain, I have these from Glasgow University's Chinese New Year 2014. Many thanks to Duo Long and the Confucius Institute in Glasgow for the pictures they sent for this blog. Some of the Chinese activities include Tai qi, tea drinking culture, lectures on characters and Chinese music

Feel free to leave comments and join in the debate, all opinions are welcome. I hope you enjoyed this blog!

The original blog is: http://blog.chinadaily.com.cn/blog-1369370-25766.html