Red and green Christmas decorations have only just come down across China, but are now being replaced by red and gold Chinese New Year decorations. Year by year in China, the biggest holidays in the western calendar are merging with the biggest holidays in the Chinese lunar calendar.
Plaza 66, Shanghai’s premier shopping centre has come up with a novel and creative way to approach this issue. A few weeks ago they had a huge gold tree and flower outside the complex to celebrate Christmas. When I went back this week the display had turned to red and gold the ubiquitous colours of Chinese New Year.
This two-in-one festive period is most evidently apparent at hotels and shopping centres, as retailers decorate their premises for the upcoming festival season. This year it’s actually a three-in-one as the Chinese New Year starts on the 14th February, which is also the western Valentines Day celebration.
The celebration of western holidays, including Christmas and Easter has become more popular among younger Chinese. Valentines Day is one of the biggest and has been widely adopted across China especially in the big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
The growth is driven by an internet savvy Gen X/Y population (18-29+) in China, who want to experience a western culture. And is fuelled by retailers, restaurants and hoteliers who view this as a commercial opportunity to promote special Valentines Day events. Normally increasing the prices dramatically, but it doesn’t seem to stop the demand for these events among China’s 200+ million Gen X/Yers.
The three-in-one decorations outside Plaza 66 are probably the biggest you will see in on the Mainland. But then Shanghai is the skyscraper capital of China, so everything in the city is big – even the roses.
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Hey great photos and story. I live in Shanghai so have seen it change too. Happy Valentine’s Day!
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