Paper Offerings Reveal Chinese Bigotry

The SCMP had an interesting article on Jan 17, 2010 titled “Up In Smoke” about Hong Kong’s last paper masters. In the article a paper master, Ha Chung-kin, said:

"Wherever there're* Chinese, there'll be god worshipping. And wherever there is god worshipping, there will be paper offerings."

The Chinese belief and tradition of burning paper offerings reveals how narrow-minded and irrational the practice is.

[Photo from SCMP]

Just take a look at this photo of what appears to be a South Asian security guard. He’s to be burnt, along with a Chinese servant girl I think.

If the last paper masters are consciously upgrading cars, houses and other modern belongings, then would it be too much for them to upgrade the servants too?

[Paper offerings include cars, houses and servants. Photo from SCMP]

The Chinese belief and tradition of burning offerings also reveals how hypocritical the practice is because proxies, in the form of paper offerings, enable the living to keep and use the material wealth that would otherwise have been wastefully buried or burnt as a mark of respect to ancestors many many generations ago. How practical the Chinese!

*Great sub-editing, as usual … not. A common occurrence also mentioned by Private Beach.