CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS HAVE become fashionable among China's smart, urban set. Young men and women hold parties, exchange presents and finish up the night at local discos. This Christmas, however, such merrymaking was condemned. The Ministry of Public Security reportedly identified Christmas as a day for potential unrest because the celebrations bring groups of people together. The Workers' Daily, one of China's government-owned newspapers, criticized what it called the "Christmas craze" and gave a stiff warning to youths who "madly go after Western life-styles."
China's leaders, never known for lenience, are suddenly acting tougher than in the recent past, jailing dissidents, executing...
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