Beijing News reported that, on Christmas Eve, the Modern College of Northwest University, located in Xian, Shaanxi Province, made it mandatory for students to watch propaganda programs and indicated that it would punish those who celebrated Christmas.
According to Beijing News, several students told its reporters that, on Christmas Eve, school instructors were on site at the propaganda multimedia program with many others standing guard around the building so that they could stop the students from leaving. Any students who left would be counted as being truant three times.
The Communist Youth League of the college posted on its weibo on December 25, “Last night our college watched the college multimedia program in an organized way only to hope students would not blindly emulate foreigners and would instead pay attention to China’s traditional culture. We hope we can take a rational look and take the glory of the school as our own glory. Do not spread rumors or create rumors. Strive to become a glorious modern person."
A student disagreed with the school response in his comments to The Beijing News. "The school does not let us celebrate Christmas. We have not said anything, but the school should not respond from the perspective that not letting us celebrate Christmas is to promote Chinese traditional culture. Actually they ‘forced’ us to watch the national propaganda films on that day. We are very unhappy about it."
Beijing News reported that banners were strung up around the campus reading, "Strive to be outstanding sons and daughters of China, oppose kitschy Western holidays," and "Resist the expansion of Western culture."
Sources: The Beijing News, December 24 and 25, 2014 http://www.bjnews.com.cn/news/2014/12/24/347168.html http://www.bjnews.com.cn/news/2014/12/25/347351.html