"Forget Lapland, the real home of Christmas is a strange Chinese city." As early as 2014, BBC journalist Tim Maughan sighed after visiting Yiwu.
"Santa Claus is in droves here, they don't have beer bellies, they don't have to wear cotton jackets, they don't have to climb chimneys."
Every day is Christmas in a Chinese city
Santa Claus's life has always been a mystery, some say he came from Rome, was born in Turkey, and immigrated to Canada in his later years.
And this puzzle now seems to have a correct solution, St. Nicholas, most likely a Chinese.
Santa Claus is Chinese is Christmas in the United States "Made in China"?
According to Tim, in the 45 minutes he stepped into Yiwu, he met thousands of Nikolais.
Because the misguided corridor resembled a giant labyrinth, he once thought he was destined to spend the rest of his life in this Santa Claus cave.
"I'm surrounded by Christmas trees, snow, LED reindeer, and it's only August."
"In addition to the countries south of the earth's equator, Christmas in Yiwu is also in the summer."
In fact, Christmas in Yiwu almost surrounds the whole year, and Santa Claus here has been on standby since February.
From Christmas trees, Christmas hats, fancy balloons to decorative lights, they are busy with all kinds of guys and things on the other side of the ocean.
By the beginning of April, these finished Christmas ornaments will continue to set sail the ocean.
"Behind the American Christmas spirit and revelry, it's hard to imagine that a small county has all to offer."
"You can say he's the Santa Claus of the East, or you can call him the Saint Nicholas of the world."
Yiwu: The city where Christmas is made and sold in China
ABC reporter Bob Woodruff also set foot in Yiwu to explore Nikolai's lair, where his faith was iteratively updated.
"I pray that this holy place will never be broken, and that Santa Claus here will always be young."
"Without Yiwu, 80% of the world's families can only eat turkey on this festival."
In Bob's eyes, Yiwu is more like a United Nations, because you can meet a fellow countryman after taking three steps, and Wu speaks more than English.
"They make pilgrimages to Yiwu a few months in advance every year. Pick out a good Christmas tree for yourself while you buy it. ”
"It's about the same size as Herald Square at Macy's in New York. But it's more intimate than there. ”
In the eyes of Lao Mei, Christmas obviously has nothing to do with China.
Until they start counting Chinese-made Christmas goods on a family basis, they tend to suspect that the nativity scene was also made in China.
This feeling is probably similar to when we find out that the true identity of the Jade Emperor is actually Dumbledore, then you will subconsciously think that Sun Wukong must be Harry Potter.
"That tree lights up your living room, and those Christmas balloons hanging from the ceiling, and the novel Christmas stockings you buy for your children, may have come from not far from where I am now." Bob Woodruff wrote.
At present, more than 80% of the world's Christmas decorations are produced in Yiwu, and the Christmas tree even exceeds 90%.
They board direct freight trains, leaving Alashankou, passing through Kazakhstan and other places, and finally to London, Prague, Tehran.
This almost shows that Santa Claus's ancestral home is indeed in Zhejiang.
Some people have examined this and claimed that Santa Claus is indeed from a central Plains dynasty in ancient times, and under the subdivision, they even deduced that Santa Claus's surname is Kong, a philosopher in the Spring and Autumn And Warring States period.
Eight of every ten Christmas trees in the United States are from China, and each Christmas tree that crosses the ocean, usually with Niu Jie's Christmas Divine Comedy, appears frequently in various families in various countries year after year.
Before these Christmas trees are packed and shipped overseas, they hang on the side of the word "Fu" and the Spring Festival.
In Roman history, the Christmas tree meant green and harvest, and its appearance was often accompanied by a feast called "Saturnalia", similar to our new year's fourth day to welcome the king of the stove.
In ancient Egypt, the Christmas tree symbolized life, and legend has it that a god named Ra, whenever he awoke from weakness, his home would be filled with this evergreen tree, meaning blessed people.
Therefore, in a sense, the word "Fu" and the Spring League are the wisdom of Yiwu people.
When a young American family buys a Christmas tree, they must want to have a good harvest for the coming year.
And when an old American man has a Christmas tree in his home, he is congratulating himself on his blessings such as the East China Sea Shoubi Nanshan.
The above conjecture is by no means empty talk, and in the book Weihnachtsmann: Die wahre Geschichte ("Santa Claus: The True Story")," the German ethnologist Thomas Hauschild mentions an old man of the East, Shou Xinggong.
In Icelandic legend, there is not only one Santa Claus, but a total of thirteen Santa Claus, each with a different personality.
"Whitebeard Nicholas is holding a staff, and so is Whitebeard Shou. They also have rosy cheeks, shiny eyes, and high foreheads. ”
"Nikolai holds three apples in his hand, and Shou carries an 'immortal peach,' a sacred fruit that blooms once every three thousand years, and eating it means longevity."
The Chinese god of longevity, white beard, red cheeks, holding a cane, resembling Nikolai.
Apparently, Shou Xinggong and his cousin nikolai in the West had a lot in common, and always adhered to the same ideal — generous gifts that brought joy and happiness.
Of course, this is just the same presentation of different cultures, and the Chinese Santa Claus in the real sense is more like a warm big brother.
In the past five years, with the decline in the planting area of Christmas trees and a variety of natural disasters, the price of Christmas trees has soared, which is difficult to find.
At this moment, St. Nicholas from Yiwu has tried his best to satisfy the faith of people all over the world, so that everyone can have a festival and a tree reward.
"From Barbie dolls to electronic toys, from Apple's iPod to Microsoft's Xbox, from the latest cashmere sweaters to sportswear, they are all labeled 'Made in China.'"
"While Amazon declined to disclose the number of Chinese sellers, nearly half of Amazon's top sellers, those with annual sales in the U.S. of more than $1 million — are in China." Marketplace Pulse, which analyzes e-commerce, said.
"It turns out that Americans today are more dependent on Chinese manufacturing than ever before."
Whether St. Nicholas is Chinese or not, Yiwu has created Christmas, and leaving reality aside, it is undoubtedly making history.
"These $6.1 billion Christmas exports are just a glimpse of Made in China."
"Whatever the world wants to celebrate, whenever and wherever it is, China will be its ultimate party supplier." Scott R. Baker, an economist at Northwestern University, said.