My Take | Social media’s ‘becoming Chinese’ trend can only be a force for good
Respectful experimentation with Chinese lifestyle habits can further understanding and engagement between people of different cultures
Lunar New Year, widely celebrated around the world, has long provided an opportunity for people unfamiliar with Chinese culture to engage with its festive traditions.
The arrival of the Year of the Horse will be marked not only in Hong Kong, mainland China and other parts of Asia, but in cities including London, New York, San Francisco, Paris and Sydney. It is a global celebration enjoyed by Chinese communities and increasingly by non-Chinese participants at new year parades and related events. As many as 2 billion people are estimated to take part.
Governments have recognised the potential commercial benefits of the festival, its appeal to tourists and opportunities for cross-cultural engagement. This is a welcome development.
London will mark Lunar New Year next Sunday with a wide range of events. There is a parade boasting colourful floats and, apparently, “the largest gathering of Chinese lions and dragons in Europe”. The celebrations will include Chinese dance and music, calligraphy, dumpling and lantern making, plus martial arts. There is a “techno lion dance” and a fireworks display. It is an impressive line-up.
Those of us who have moved to the UK from Hong Kong might recall fond memories of Lunar New Year in the city and, perhaps, indulge in a little sentiment. During Britain’s bleak midwinter, with short days, relentless rain and the usual post-Christmas depression, I miss the sense of excitement in Hong Kong as Lunar New Year arrives. The peach blossom and tangerine trees, red decorations and festive feasts live long in the memory as well as the explosion of firecrackers at midnight on New Year’s Eve, at least when I lived in Mui Wo.
But while new year celebrations around the world showcase Chinese culture in the time-honoured way, a surprising social media phenomenon is taking a different path. The trend which sees young non-Chinese social media users adopt simple Chinese daily habits, posting content tagged “becoming Chinese”, has sparked fevered debate. No doubt, the craze will soon be the subject of academic research, if it is not already.