4 Fun Western Traditions Being Adopted in China

With China increasingly embracing elements of Western culture, we explore some of these traditions being adopted by the far East.

It has been around 30 years since China first opened its doors to foreign trade, and Western culture began to creep into the country. Western brands, ideas and traditions have exploded in the past decade as economic boom has expanded the country’s middle class. Incredible advances in media and technology have facilitated international connectedness, exposing China to Western influences and vice versa.

From clothes and coffee to food and movies, Western culture’s influence is big and getting bigger. There have been some concerns expressed that Western ideology and values will negatively transform Chinese society by diluting the cultural identity of the country; however, Western influences in China are often integrated into the nation’s own culture.

Shared traditions are an ideal way to merge gaps between societies; they create commonalities, and take the focus away from differences in linguistic, religious and social spheres. Here, we explore some of the Western traditions that the China has begun to adopt.

1. Cinema

China has wholeheartedly embraced Hollywood films, with cinema-goers spending around one billion yuan to see Hollywood flicks, compared to a measly 20 million yuan for locally made projects. China’s appetite for films has been prolific, with total box office revenues growing more than three and a half times between 2006 and 2011 as China invested heavily in constructing new movie palaces to exhibit 3D and IMAX titles. China now represents one of the world’s biggest film markets, second only to the United States, and as such Hollywood wants films that will appeal to the Chinese market.

Numerous collaborative film projects - including Keanu Reeves’s directorial debut “Man of Tai Chi,” “Inseparable” starring Kevin Spacey, “The Flowers of War” featuring Christian Bale, and Hugh Jackman’s film “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” - are all Chinese films featuring dialogue in Mandarin and English. The rise of China’s entertainment industry has meant a shift from Chinese film goers being passive participants, to shaping the future of the industry. As time goes on and more of Hollywood’s revenue becomes dependant on the acceptance of the Chinese audience, we can expect this trend to continue, and for more active participation to occur between film studios and China.

2. Christmas

There are a number of holidays and festivities enjoyed in China and celebrated in a similar way in Western societies. Qi Xi festival, celebrated on the seventh day on the seventh lunar month, is to China what Valentine’s Day is to Western Countries. Dia de Los Muertos, Halloween and Tomb Sweeping Day are all ways for different cultures to pay homage to the dead in their respective countries. Chinese New Year, celebrated at the start of the lunar new year, has many similar elements to New Year’s Eve in the West.

One tradition that is gaining some traction despite its lack of historical Chinese roots is Christmas. Experts have speculated that more young people in China have started celebrating Christmas due to increasing work pressures and a desire to seize opportunities to have fun.

All of the trappings of a Western Christmas can be found in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Festive decorations and twinkling lights adorn department stores, and traditional Christmas dinners are available at hotels and Western style restaurants during the Christmas period. Many of the commercial elements of Christmas have been embraced as well, with the newspaper China Daily reporting that Christmas Eve is the biggest shopping day of the year.

In many instances, the religious aspects of the holiday are overlooked: people instead see Christmas as a chance to spend time with friends and family. However, there are also a sizeable minority of people who do attend Christmas services at places of worship.

3. Basketball

One of America’s favorite pastimes, basketball has been embraced at an almost unprecedented rate in China. While soccer is known as a true international game, basketball and the NBA have slowly begun to take over the world, and one of the most important markets is China.

Due to allegations of match fixing within the Chinese Super League in 2010, soccer has in recent years lost popularity in China. Conversely, basketball has experienced a massive boost, overtaking soccer as the country's most watched sport. It is estimated that around 450 million people now tune in, and more than 300 million people play the game - that’s more than the entire population of the United States.

One of the most prominent figureheads of basketball in China is the 228cm Houston Rockets center, Yao Ming. China’s most successful basketball export, Ming represents a symbol of China’s modern advancement. He is the ultimate marketing icon for the Chinese audience and their insatiable appetite for this exhilarating sport.

4. Classical Music

The history of Western style orchestras in China only dates back to the 19th century, but the popularity of Western classical music in China is very much at its peak. Numerous orchestras, wind ensembles and touring chamber groups are drawing large crowds to their performances in China, and performance hall improvements are being made throughout the country. The National Centre for the Performing Arts, also known as “the Egg,” was completed in 2007. The Egg features an opera house and concert hall, and draws large crowds regularly.

As classical music becomes less popular in the West and orchestras face diminishing audiences, the very future of Western style classical music could rest in the East.

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