Father's Day, a holiday which falls on the third Sunday of June, is less popular than other holidays in China as fewer fathers receive gifts than mothers.

Although more and more people have begun to celebrate the holiday imported from Western countries to honor fathers, in China the holiday still does not receive the same level of attention as Mother's Day, which fell on May 12 this year.

On Taobao, China's largest online shopping platform, a search for the keyword "father" resulted in only 320,000 goods, less than one-eighth of those for mothers and one-thirtieth of those for children.

Data from the website also showed that, on average, only 800 visitors searched for gifts for fathers every day within the past month.

In Jinan, capital of Shandong province, most residents interviewed by Xinhua News Agency on Sunday did not know the exact day of the holiday.

Only three out of the 10 people interviewed said they planned to buy a gift for their fathers.

A gift store owner named Jiang in Jinan said sales of gifts for the Father's Day holiday were much lower compared to similar holidays, and many consumers were not sure what to buy for their fathers.

In traditional Chinese culture, fathers and mothers play different roles in society and families, Ai Jun, a Chinese folk custom expert who is also a father, said in a Xinhua report.

Fathers usually provide food for the family and are stricter about education. Unlike Chinese mothers, they do not spend a lot of time communicating with children about their lives and love interests, Ai said.

The topic of gifts for fathers received many comments on Chinese micro-blogging websites. Many Chinese fathers said they do not care about the holiday.

(China Daily USA 06/17/2013 page3)