In December 2024, Chinese media, including the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) mouthpiece Xinhua News Agency, has asserted that December 24th should not be celebrated as Christmas Eve, but rather as the victory day of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir (长津湖战役). This battle marked the first major military confrontation between the Chinese army and U.S. and U.N. forces during the Korean War.
Netizens discovered that, following 2019, platforms including Baidu and other Chinese internet sites made alterations to the timeline of the battle, changing its end date from December 13, 1950, to December 24th. This revision provided Chinese media with a basis on which to “reclaim” Christmas Eve as a day for promotion of the CCP’s anti-U.S. narrative.
Sources:
1. Radio Free Asia, December 25, 2024
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/china-christmas-eve-battle-of-lake-changjin-nationalism-12252024112521.html
2. Aboluo, December 29, 2024
https://www.aboluowang.com/2024/1229/2152143.html