(Photo courtesy: csout)
It’s this last part of Christmas which seems to have truly captured the greatest amount of interest here in modern China. And in today’s modern age, shopping for Christmas is rapidly becoming a digital experience, as witnessed by the latest trends coming out of online shopping sites here in China. A couple of e-commerce websites here in China are reporting that sales in the lead up to today were anywhere from 2 to 5 times what they were from last year. This, despite the average price of online goods being up 20 percent from last year. So what is the Chinese fascination with the Christmas holiday when it comes to shopping? Source: english.cri.cn
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Two shop workers dressed up as Chinese Qing Dynasty princesses prepare themselves near a statue of Santa Claus at the entrance of a shopping mall in downtown Beijing, China, Thursday.
Alexander F. Yuan/AP
Beijing
At Beijing’s most luxurious mall – “New Light Heaven and Earth” – the religion this season is shopping.
The bright maze of cosmetics counters is festooned with green bunting. White-coated counter women wear mistletoe corsages. Downstairs a florist sells poinsettias, gold tinsel Christmas trees, and strings of flashing fairy lights.
“Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus lane,” the PA system chimes.
In one-party China, where Communist doctrine has cramped religion for 60 years, Christmas is not closely linked with spirituality. Continue here
Source: csmonitor