The smiling face of Santa Claus is omnipresent all across China. Local governments are decorating trees and lamp posts with lights and ornaments. At first glance visitors would think they were in Europe.
圣诞老人的笑脸在全国各地随处可见。各地政府部门也纷纷用彩灯和各种装饰装扮着树木和灯柱。乍一看上去，游客们大概会有身在欧洲的错觉。
Despite the fact that most Chinese are not Christians, Christmas season has become increasingly popular.
尽管事实上，大多数中国人都不是基督教徒，但圣诞节已经越发受到人们的欢迎了。

"If you walked around major Chinese cities 15 years ago, you wouldn`t have seen many signs of Christmas. However, if you were to visit those same Chinese cities again today, you`d be surprised to see signs of Christmas almost everywhere," says Cai Jiming, a professor with Tsinghua University, who has served as an expert in developing China`s holiday schedule.
清华大学教授，国家假日制度改革专家蔡继明说：“15年前，当你走在中国大城市的街道上，你不会看到什么圣诞的迹象。但如果你现在再去造访同样的城市，你会惊讶地发现遍地都是圣诞的迹象。”

Although Christmas is not a public holiday, many Chinese cities are still getting into the Christmas spirit.
虽然圣诞节并不是公共假期，但中国许多城市都不亦乐乎地庆祝圣诞。

Cai says his e-mail inbox and cell phone have been flooded with messages wishing him a merry Christmas. The greetings have been coming in since the end of November.
蔡教授说圣诞的祝福信息已经塞满了他的邮箱和手机。自11月末起，就已经开始有人发送圣诞祝福了。

In his view, Christmas seems like a "warm-up" for the truly important month-long Spring Festival, which begins on Feb 3 next year.
在他看来，圣诞节就像是在为即将于明年2月3号到来的春节做热身。春节才是重头戏，那时的热闹会持续一个月。

However, despite the prevalence of Christmas celebrations, for most Chinese, it neither means a religious celebration nor an occasion for family reunions. Instead, it is a time for relaxing with friends, a time to shop, a time to have a party and it is especially a time for romance.
然而，尽管普天同庆圣诞佳节，但对于大多数中国人来说，它既非宗教庆典也不是和家人团聚之日。相反，却是一个能和朋友一起放松、购物、开派对的日子，尤其还有是一个能和恋人共同度过的浪漫节日。

"I expect my boyfriend to take me out on Christmas Eve and I expect a romantic night," says Christine Zhou, 28, a hotel manager in Beijing.
北京某酒店经理，28岁的克里斯汀•周说：“我希望男友能在圣诞夜约我共度一个浪漫之夜。”

"It seems to me that everything associated with Christmas time is romantic."
“对我来说，好像所有跟圣诞节相关的事物都是浪漫的。”

On the streets, rose and chocolate peddlers are vying for their business.
在大街上，小贩们争相叫卖玫瑰和巧克力。