Chinese Santa – From the 1940s

I keep reading a lot of hacks noting the popularity of Santa Claus in China these days – of course this slightly discombobulated view of Christmas in China has been growing annually for over a decade – Santas (a la Coca-Cola type Santa rather than anything more pagan).

Of course all of this is nothing new – just a resumption of normal service after the communist takeover and the austerity years of Maoist political correctness. Christmas was a big thing (bigger actually) in Shanghai during the Republican period and right up to 1949 (and a few years beyond actually until the serious crackdowns started). Witness this Christmas themed poster (thanks to Shanghailander Bill Savadove for spotting it on sale) from, we think, the 1940s. The belted clothing and hairstyles including the woman’s scarf (and traditional characters) indicate late 1940s.