If your happy with your puchase, clap your hands!
I have received many questions about the Holiday season here in Kunming. Do the Chinese celebrate Chinese even celebrate this holiday? Can I find Christmas items in Kunming? Is there snow? Well, I hope to answer these questions, as well as point out at least one of the oddities about shopping here in Yunnan Province.
As for whether or not Christmas is celebrated here, the answer is yes. However, I am uncertain how much of that is because the Chinese themselves actually observe this most sacred of days. With a relatively healthy Western influence in Kunming--compared to many other Chinese cities--the local vendors know to provide items for their Western clientel to create a homey Christmas atmosphere in our apartments. For this reason, many items do exist for the celebration of Christmas. I strolled through a shop this weekend whose sound system was playing overtly x-ian seasonal music. Very few, if any of the locals probably knew what the music was about, but it was playing none-the-less.
As far as the real reason for the season is concerned, most of this, that I have seen, came in the form of the Kunming International Academy Christmas concert. The performance carried a Latin theme, but it certainly made a very clear statement about the sacredness of this season. With many Chinese people coming to see the dancing and hear the singing, it was a wonderful event for spreading Truth. Below is a shot of the programs closing scene. It is a bit blurry, but it was rather difficult to get clear shots without a flash and tripod. Duibuqi!
While out shopping for necessities and holiday items, I noticed an interesting marketing ploy here in Kunming. It is based on the song "If your happy and you know it." Except the words would be changed a bit. It might go like this: If your happy with your purchase, clap your hands!(2x) If your happy with your purchase, than your clap will surely surface. If your happy with your purchase, clap your hands! As a matter of fact, if your happy with your purchase, we will clap our hands. Outside of many of the shops, employees take turns standing and clapping his or her hands to either welcome customers or thank them for their patronage. This young man stood outside a sporting-goods shop in the heart of downtown Kunming. I looked in the shop, because they carried some unique clothing brands in bright color, which I love. However, if clothing is in Chinese sizes, I usually need a 2XL, which this shop did not have in stock. They clapped for me anyway.
This last photo is of the Tannenbaum situated in the lobby of the hotel where I go for Sunday morning services. It is also a bit blurry, but you can see the Chinese desire to cater to their Western visitors. If I wanted to, I could purchase an artificial tree with lights for 120RMB (about $15). You can also tell which apartments are owned by foreigners, because the windows are decorated with lights and usually a tree. These scattered reminders of home warm my heart, especially at night, when the cool breeze blows. If I close my eyes, I can almost smell the moisture of remembered snows, the fiberous wood smell of the forests, and the wind almost sounds like it is whispering through the branches of a giant woods.
From China, I wish all of you and yours a very Merry Christmas. I have every reason to believe that the blessing the season brings reaches clear around the Earth. Believe me when I say that my Holiday will be a joyous one.
As for whether or not Christmas is celebrated here, the answer is yes. However, I am uncertain how much of that is because the Chinese themselves actually observe this most sacred of days. With a relatively healthy Western influence in Kunming--compared to many other Chinese cities--the local vendors know to provide items for their Western clientel to create a homey Christmas atmosphere in our apartments. For this reason, many items do exist for the celebration of Christmas. I strolled through a shop this weekend whose sound system was playing overtly x-ian seasonal music. Very few, if any of the locals probably knew what the music was about, but it was playing none-the-less.
As far as the real reason for the season is concerned, most of this, that I have seen, came in the form of the Kunming International Academy Christmas concert. The performance carried a Latin theme, but it certainly made a very clear statement about the sacredness of this season. With many Chinese people coming to see the dancing and hear the singing, it was a wonderful event for spreading Truth. Below is a shot of the programs closing scene. It is a bit blurry, but it was rather difficult to get clear shots without a flash and tripod. Duibuqi!
While out shopping for necessities and holiday items, I noticed an interesting marketing ploy here in Kunming. It is based on the song "If your happy and you know it." Except the words would be changed a bit. It might go like this: If your happy with your purchase, clap your hands!(2x) If your happy with your purchase, than your clap will surely surface. If your happy with your purchase, clap your hands! As a matter of fact, if your happy with your purchase, we will clap our hands. Outside of many of the shops, employees take turns standing and clapping his or her hands to either welcome customers or thank them for their patronage. This young man stood outside a sporting-goods shop in the heart of downtown Kunming. I looked in the shop, because they carried some unique clothing brands in bright color, which I love. However, if clothing is in Chinese sizes, I usually need a 2XL, which this shop did not have in stock. They clapped for me anyway.
This last photo is of the Tannenbaum situated in the lobby of the hotel where I go for Sunday morning services. It is also a bit blurry, but you can see the Chinese desire to cater to their Western visitors. If I wanted to, I could purchase an artificial tree with lights for 120RMB (about $15). You can also tell which apartments are owned by foreigners, because the windows are decorated with lights and usually a tree. These scattered reminders of home warm my heart, especially at night, when the cool breeze blows. If I close my eyes, I can almost smell the moisture of remembered snows, the fiberous wood smell of the forests, and the wind almost sounds like it is whispering through the branches of a giant woods. From China, I wish all of you and yours a very Merry Christmas. I have every reason to believe that the blessing the season brings reaches clear around the Earth. Believe me when I say that my Holiday will be a joyous one.
posted by Roland at 7:25 PM
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