The Chinese government, primarily composed of Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has ordered locals not to celebrate Christmas as it is a ‘western celebration’. Leaked documents in the media revealed that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) banned all Christmas celebrations, including those in places of worship.
Initially, these restrictions were attributed to a surge of Covid cases in the country. The report states that Sinicization is necessary in order to strictly forbid celebrating western culture, festivals, and events, as per Bitter Winter (a magazine on human rights and religious liberty).
‘Christmas, or Holy Night, which is approaching, is deeply rooted in Western religious culture. Some Western nations rely on their advanced technology and culture to spread their values and lifestyle in China, attracting our young people,’ the document reads. There are also many enterprises that want to make money from this celebration, so they try to create an atmosphere that damages Chinese culture.
However, the document also says that all ‘cosmetic’ events that have been state-sanctioned and held in churches will not face these restrictions, and a broadcast will be allowed. The document was circulated on December 20, according to the magazine, by the Department of Education of Rong’an county in Liuzhou city in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The article was reportedly titled ‘Spreading Chinese traditional culture and prohibiting Western festival celebrations’.
Teachers and students are also prohibited from organizing any celebration of this Western festival by the Department of Education. ‘We trust all teachers and students in school, especially but not limited to [Communist] Party members, will follow and obey the rules from the CCP Central Committee, thus becoming a model of spreading Chinese culture. In addition to reporting any Christmas event to the authorities, the department has also designated a special officer who will be responsible for handling all related complaints’, the document stated.
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