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Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Burning with Spirit During Qingming in Guangzhou

Today on an old street in Guangzhou some iPhones, watches, and shoes burned.

paper watches, shoes, and iPhones burn


New clothing was added to the fire.

boxes with paper shirts, ties, and suits jacket burn


And more items, such as money and cigarettes, were added.

family burning paper replicas of items during Qingming


And the fire burned on.

paper replicas of various items burning


Eventually, all that was left of the items was a pile of ash.

ash on road


Water fully put out the burning.

boy throwing water onto smoking ash


And there was a quick cleanup of what remained.

woman cleaning up ashes with broom and dustbin


Had the family needed more to burn, a shop just a short walk away offered plenty of options.

shop selling paper replicas of various items


shop selling paper replicas of various items


paper clothing for sale


paper spirit money for sale


paper replicas of various items for sale


All of the items were paper replicas — part of a tradition of sending needed items to ancestors in the afterlife. Today was Qingming, Tomb-Sweeping Day, and many similar offering were made elsewhere in Guangzhou and the rest of China. Even if your beliefs differ, watching the burnings can feel cathartic.

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