Learning Chinese 

This year, we were very fortunate to have Ms Han for the first half of the school year. Ms Han shared great experience and knowledge of the Chinese language and culture with our students. We have covered many topics, such as festivals and celebrations, sports, colours, numbers, school, countries, and many more. Students are gradually showing more interest in learning Mandarin and demonstrating their capability to acquire a foreign language. 

So how do Chinese people celebrate Christmas? Do they celebrate Christmas? 

We asked Mrs Cheng our Chinese teacher.......

There are many festivals and celebrations in China. We start our year with Lunar New Year and end the year with Winter Solstice in December. So, do we celebrate Christmas in China?  The answer is yes… and no.

Younger generations understand that Christmas is one of the most important celebrations in the Western world. Some people will explore the meaning of this celebration and enjoy this festive season. Most shopping malls would take the opportunity to run some Christmas sales. Many provinces would have shopping malls decorated with Christmas spirits. Some young people would take this chance to gather for a meal with their friends, go for a movie, karaoke or shopping.  Although Christmas is not a main celebration in China, Yìwū, a town in Zhejiang province is the main source of the world’s Christmas products. A common present in China on Christmas Eve is an apple. In Mandarin, Christmas Eve is known as píng ān yè, which means Peaceful Night or Silent Night. Apple in Mandarin is píng guǒ. Hence, the gifting of apple represents peace and safety.

Merry Christmas 圣 诞 快 乐 shèng dàn kuài lè

Mrs Cheng

Chinese Teacher