by Ruby, age 8 from Colorado Springs, asks Shengdan Laoren about Christmas celebrations across China’s big cities.
A Letter to Shengdan Laoren from Ruby in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Dear Shengdan Laoren, my name is Ruby and I am eight years old. I live in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and I saw pictures of Christmas lights in Shanghai, so now I have questions:
- Do Chinese children leave out treats for you?
- Do you bring presents to children in China?
- Do you come down the chimney?
- Do you come on Christmas Eve?
- Do you have helpers?
- Do you have reindeer?
- Do you look like the American Santa?
- Do you visit only Christian families, or everyone?
- Do you wear a red suit?
- Your name means Christmas Old Man in Chinese, is that like Santa?
- Geography: What is the longest river in China?
- Social Studies: Christmas is not an official public holiday in China. Why do so many Chinese cities still decorate for the season and sell Christmas items?
Thanks, Ruby
Shengdan Laoren Writes Back
Do Chinese children leave out treats for you?
Some Chinese children leave out small treats, Ruby, especially in cities where Christmas decorations and celebrations have become increasingly popular.
Do you bring presents to children in China?
I bring gifts mostly to children in China’s larger cities, where Christmas has grown into a fun, festive season, even for families who do not celebrate it religiously.
Do you come down the chimney?
Chimney traditions are not very common in Chinese homes, so I mostly rely on quiet, unnoticed Christmas magic to leave gifts behind.
Do you come on Christmas Eve?
Christmas Eve, called Ping’an Ye, or Peaceful Night, is my main night, a popular evening for friends to gather, share meals, and exchange small gifts.
Do you have helpers?
A few cheerful helpers assist me, especially in the busy shopping districts where Christmas decorations light up storefronts each December.
Do you have reindeer?
I keep a sleigh with reindeer for tradition’s sake, though in China’s busiest cities I will admit the subway sometimes gets me there faster.
Do you look like the American Santa?
Very similar in appearance, red suit, white beard, and a cheerful laugh, largely thanks to how widely that image has spread through movies and advertising.
Do you visit only Christian families, or everyone?
Christianity is practiced by a smaller share of people in China, so I try to bring holiday cheer more broadly, since Christmas there has become mostly a festive, commercial season rather than a religious one for most families.
Do you wear a red suit?
Yes, a red suit, recognized almost everywhere thanks to how globally familiar the modern Santa Claus image has become.
Your name means Christmas Old Man in Chinese, is that like Santa?
That’s right, Shengdan Laoren does mean Christmas Old Man, and yes, that is simply another way of saying Santa Claus, using standard Mandarin rather than a regional dialect.
Geography: What is the longest river in China?
The Yangtze River is the longest river in China and one of the longest in the world, stretching from the Tibetan Plateau all the way to the East China Sea, passing near several of the cities I visit each December.
Social Studies: Christmas is not an official public holiday in China. Why do so many Chinese cities still decorate for the season and sell Christmas items?
Christmas is not an official public holiday in China, yet many cities still fill their shopping districts with lights, trees, and festive displays each December. Retailers have embraced the holiday as a fun, commercial season, and many young people enjoy the decorations, music, and gift giving spirit, even without the same religious meaning the holiday carries elsewhere.
