THEPAPER-ARTOFDEATH Text // Flora Tompo / Mirae Kim

Creative offerings are the way out!

Paper-making Ipad, “Mercedes Benz”,”Rolex” watch and the Louis Vuitton ensemble have been on the best-selling list for this year! You might wonder, why would Chinese spent money to purchase 1.5 billion dollars on hell-money and other offerings for the spiritual world in 2010? Those were just used to burn, of no use in the living world. Why would they splash off a massive amount of money for the purpose of burning them off? Why would this ritual be so pervasive in the Chinese community?

THE EPITOME OF RESPECT & HOMAGE

Ancestor worship is pivotal in the Chinese society due to a bunch of respectful traditional values. This tradition seeks to honor and reminiscence the actions of the deceased, the ultimate homage to the dead. The ritual practice is based on the belief that the ancestral soul would have a

continued existent to watch over the family members and influence the fortune of living of those they’ve left behind. Chinese believes that the ancestral spirit would eat and drink sacrifi-cial offerings and convey spiritual messages. The importance of paying respect to parents (and

elders) lies with the fact that all physical bodily aspects of one's being were created by one's parents, who continued to tend to one's well-being until one is on firm footings. The respect and the homage to parents, is to return this gracious deed to them in life and after, the ultimate homage.