Affection「仁」& Display courtesy「禮」&nFive Relationship「五倫」 n

Burning sacrificial offerings is a way to show love, kindness, respect and support ( Affection); display courtesy . The Five Confucian relationships ruled - the Five Bonds arer: Ruler to ruled, father to son, husband to wife, elder brother to younger brother and friend to friend. Specific duties are prescribed to each of the participants in these sets of relationships such as the young generation have to obey to their aged parents in every aspects; Being nice to friends and taking good care of them. The concept is extend-ed to the dead and leads to the veneration of ancestors, burning luxury goods to the ancestors to make sure they live as if they were alive.

THE MINIATURE OF CONTEMPORARY REALITY

The Cult of Filial Piety「 孝 」 n

Filial Piety is the ethical morals that regulate the family parent-child relation-ship. Children are obligated to respect their elders in every means. Since the ancestors are the ones having brought us into the world, nourished us and having prepared the conditions under which we grew up, hence it is a payback of spiritual debts, again mystical and celes-tial. Ancestor worshipping is not asking for favours, but to fulfil one’s filial duties. The act is a way to respect, honour and look

after ancestors in their spiritual world, guaranteeing the ancestors’ well- being and positive disposition towards the living, as well as the living descendants possibly seek the ancestors’ guidance or assistance. Filial Piety cultivates kinship values like family loyalty and the conti-nuity of the family lineage. This value is also extended to the society - how the ruler uses “xiao” ( filial piety) to rule the land to main peace and harmony.

The lust for luxury of modern Chinese could be greatly reflected by the purchasing pattern of creative sacrificial offerings. In the 21st-century, the living standard is esca-lating and people not only are craving for necessities but also luxurious goodies. Newly invented hi-tech products such as Iphone, Apple Macbook; hi-end ensemble such as Louis Vuitton hang bag and Prada shoes; expensive massage chairs or even Chinese street food such as dim sum are in a huge demand for imitation to allow the deceased to experience the same living style as if they were living before death. The offerings manufacturers have been striving hard to produce as many innovative offer-ings as possible to cater to customer’s taste nowadays. Apparently, the whole ideology mirrors that the spiritual world is actually the miniature of the real world we’re living in.