It's a bit unbelievable that Christmas is popular in China, as far as I know most Chinese people don't believe in Christianity; and the concept of traditional Chinese festivals is gradually fading among young people, and even in the most important Chinese New Year, people go home to their loved ones for shorter and shorter periods of time. The New Year is approaching, and at this time of the year, people all over the world are celebrating the arrival of the festival in different ways. Global integration not only promotes international business and trade exchanges, but also affects the traditions and customs of people in different countries and regions to different degrees. Take American food as an example, there are Chinese restaurants in every city in the United States, and I believe there is not a single American who has not had a meal of Chinese food, while Italian, Greek, Thai, Mexican, or other national flavors are also found throughout the United States. Christmas is popular in China Somewhat unbelievably Just as Americans have embraced food cultures from all over the world, the younger generation in China is also absorbing Western culture, for example, they enthusiastically celebrate Western festivals such as Christmas and Valentine's Day. Everything changes as time and space shift, and culture is no exception, especially when it needs to be integrated into another culture, which inevitably changes its original face. For example, Chinese food sold in the United States will taste a little different than it does in China because it has to be adapted to American tastes. Similarly, from my own experience in China, the way Chinese people celebrate Western holidays is very different from the way Americans traditionally celebrate them. Four years ago, I taught at a university in China for two years. While teaching, I realized that celebrating Christmas was very popular among students. Students not only give each other cards and gifts, but also hold dances on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. In addition, there are many stores that decorate with Christmas trees and even hire people to dress up as Santa Claus. These are somewhat similar but not exactly the same as the way Americans celebrate Christmas. In any case, I find it a bit strange that Christmas is popular in China, because Christmas is a religious holiday, and as far as I know most Chinese people do not believe in Christianity and do not understand the true meaning of this holiday. Christmas is a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus, so initially, in the United States and some other Western countries, only Christians celebrated Christmas. But to this day, Christmas has become a mixture of religion and traditional culture. During the Christmas season, people not only go to church and give each other gifts as they used to do in the past, but they also put up Christmas trees, hang stockings by the fireplace and wait for Santa Claus's gifts. It would be a mistake to think of all this as the traditional way of celebrating Christmas. In fact, it was only about 200 years ago that the Christmas tree became part of the festivities, and the appearance of Santa Claus only dates back to the 1930s. And in stark contrast to the way young people in China celebrate, there are no big parties or dances at Christmas in Western countries, because in Western tradition, Christmas is a time for reunion with family, just like the Chinese New Year. Families would get together, enjoy a big meal, then open presents under the Christmas tree and go to church together. Nowadays, Chinese people are keen to celebrate not only Christmas, but also Valentine's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and so on, only that the younger generation in China has localized these festivals and sees them as an opportunity to get together with friends. Don't let "foreign festivals" make traditions decline While these foreign festivals have become popular in China, the situation of traditional Chinese festivals has also changed. The annual Mid-Autumn Festival used to be one of the most important festivals in ancient China, a day when the whole family enjoyed the moon and mooncakes, and many famous scholars wrote poems and lyrics about it. Nowadays, however, the concept of Mid-Autumn Festival has faded among young people. Even during the Spring Festival, China's most important traditional festival, the time people have to return home to their loved ones is getting shorter and shorter, and often before the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, people are already dragging their tired bodies back to work. Festivals are an aspect of culture, and culture is constantly changing as the pulse of the world beats. Every time we celebrate a festival, we are, consciously or unconsciously, helping to perpetuate that festival tradition in the culture, or to change it to keep up with the times. Just as a person's appearance changes as they age and their life experiences vary, it is only natural that cultures and their traditions change as well. As the world becomes more and more interconnected, cultural traditions have become one of the resources available to all nations of the world. If a foreign culture wants to take root somewhere, it will need to be adapted to the new environment. There is no such thing as a good or bad culture. But in any case, the loss of ancient traditions is indeed saddening. Nowadays, it is popular for young people all over the world to speak English, wear jeans, listen to English songs, and even religious festivals such as Christmas are becoming popular in many non-religious areas. I am not saying that this is bad, but it does mean that the traditional culture of many places is declining. Every culture and tradition has its irreplaceable value, and it should not be forgotten with the process of modernization and globalization. Many people think that modernity and tradition are incompatible with each other, but in fact, cultural traditions can survive in modern society. Just as farmers with traditional farming methods have been able to adapt to modern life with cell phones, so too have ancient traditions and festivals been able to flourish in this modern, developed society. But it all depends on the people. If people decide to abandon their traditions, they are bound to decline; if traditions are valued by the people, they are bound to take on a new splendor in the modern world.