Hongkonger spent the weekend before Christmas over the mainland border in Guandong province. Different to Hong Kong? Oh yes. I can recall many years ago landing in Hong Kong in December to be confronted by a vast arch of purple glittery Christmas trees and the slogan ‘Welcome to our winter festival of shopping’. But Hong Kong turned out to have a soul as well, and the Christmas rituals at the Peninsula hotel and the Anglican cathedral (in previous articles by Hongkonger on GP on 24/12/24 and 26/12/23) continue to give great joy and to nourish the spirit.
Nothing of that in the mainland. The people’s republic of China has a practicing Christian population of less than 1%, mainly Roman Catholic. Christmas Day is a normal working day and officially unacknowledged. Signs of Christmas are unseen outside bigger shopping malls and even there are few.
Foshan is a large city with its prefecture hosting a population of some 8 million (comparable to Greater London, I suppose) but is subsumed by the Pearl River Delta metropolis, notably Guanzhou.
There is no evidence of Christmas decorations on the streets during the half hour drive from Guanzhounan station. Heading for the tourist area known as ‘Lake of a thousand lights’ might be different?
The site has a lakeside walk, shops, food stalls, performance areas an so on. It is announced by a gloriously worded sign: ‘ National level night culture and tourism consumption centre’. In other words ‘Spend money here’. But not many people are doing so.- maybe because it’s December though the weather provides a warm 23 degrees day with a gentle breeze. I would say that the market is domestic tourists not international. A single very large but somewhat forlorn inflatable Santa is at the crossroads of the mall – but that’s it. Elsewhere just two shops seem to acknowledge
Christmas with external decorations – both are in the photographs. The first is a restaurant/bar, the second a clothes shop. The shop has a start on the tree – the nearest representation of any religious symbolism I saw. Note the sign says ‘Merry Christmas’ in English rather than Mandarin – and then it occurred to me that, of course, the Chinese make all Western decorations anyway……. so it would be in English, wouldn’t it?
Moving on……there’s a Starbucks. Surely a gingerbread latte, something? But inside – no Christmas decorations, no Christmas music (though that may be no bad thing….) and no Christmas merchandise. And no gingerbread latte.
I’m sure that cities with many international visitors – Shanghai, Shenzhen perhaps – will use Christmas as a commercial lever rather more, but beyond that there is very little Christmas presence. Chinese friends tell me that younger people acknowledge Christmas Eve as a sort of Valentine’s Day and give each other an apple with a romantic message. The connection is a play on words with apple (pin guo) and peace (ping an) sounding similar in Mandarin. The Chinese are aware of carols such as Silent night with its heavenly peace. But away from the biggest city centres, for most Chinese – you get up and go to work.
Where I was staying in a residential estate there were some 30/40 shops around the ground floor, predictably selling vegetables, general groceries, tea, a cafe or two. Add to that an estate agents and a small gym. Again, no sign of Christmas. Except – a unit proclaiming itself ‘Head treatment and spa’ had an open door, and inside a modest Christmas tree and display. I stepped inside and motioned to ask permission to photograph it. You can see the result. I said ‘thank you’ and the young woman said, in perfect English, ‘May you enjoy the peace of the infant Jesus.’
May all readers also enjoy peace this Christmas.
© text & images Hongkonger 2025
