merry christmas
Tag Archives: christmas
christmas 2007: garden city…and christmas-lit palms
merry christmas-new years
it’s another christmas. unlike previous years, when the great christmas pumpkin made its appearance, this year, it’s christmas qua new years, which fits. many of my friends think of christmas as american spring festival. i will be tracking the shenzhen christmas make-over, which began the day after thanksgiving. these first pics are from garden city in shekou.
inside garden city, a christmas palm tree
the palm trees and bright city lights (santa goes neon after dark) at garden city seem a high-end moment in a citywide trend to shine. low-end nanshan clubs, for example, also decorate plastic palm trees with christmas lights. these lights, however, flicker all year.
blue
yellow
christmas spirit
story telling
last year, i posted images of the huaqiangbei christmas pumpkin. this year, i’ve decided to post pictures of yang qian performing one of his favorite roles–santa at the kindergarten. we improvized the beard last minute and the result was something like santa meets beijing opera. the big red nose, square beard, and rounded eyes echo, albeit faintly, the conventions for clown roles.
we’ve approached debates on whether or not chinese people should celebrate christmas in the spirit of kindergarten, where whatever you do or don’t believe, it’s a wonderful thing to give gifts to children.
christmas pumpkin
christmas pumpkin The Christmas spirit haunts us otherwise in Shenzhen, where children are given Halloween cards because “It’s fun” and lovers celebrate the season over romantic dinners—“It’s a time for just the two of us,” my friend explains her holiday plans.
And yet, walking past artificial trees and sweating elves, I glimpse the ghost of Christmas past, when I first learned to crave salvation. Here too, it’s the season.
There are a few more Shenzhen Christmas cards in my gallery.
Happy holidays.
Originally uploaded by mary_ann_odonnell.
Shenzhen Noted 