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Erika Na

Learn the ins and outs of feng shui, villain hitting and fortunetelling, as well as the dos and don’ts for cultivating good luck in our series on Chinese superstitions.
Belief in the afterlife and holding rituals to honour the deceased are things that are unique to humans.
Every culture has developed its own way of paying respect to the dead, with funerals often heavily influenced by tradition and superstition.
There are many rules surrounding Chinese funerals, which tend to be followed strictly; a badly organised and executed ceremony could be seen to disrespect the deceased and bring bad luck to their family.

The most basic rule to observe in Chinese funerals pertains to the age of the deceased and those paying their respects.
In Chinese tradition, it is considered inauspicious for a “grey-haired person to send off a black-haired person”, as the saying goes. It should always be the young who pay their respects to the old.

In the unfortunate case of a child dying, the parents traditionally do not offer prayers nor hold a funeral. The child is buried in silence.
When an elderly person dies, all statues of deities in their house are covered with red paper so as not to be inadvertently disrespected by exposure to death.
Traditionally, mirrors are removed from the home of the deceased. There are many reasons behind this; one being to prevent the deceased’s soul from trying in vain to see its reflection.
The dates of funerals are chosen carefully in Chinese culture. Some people avoid attending funerals during the seventh lunar month, or Ghost Month, when spirits from the underworld roam the world of the living, according to tradition.
Those attending funerals at any time of year usually avoid wearing red, as it is a colour associated with celebrations and happiness. Instead, people wear darker colours such as black or navy blue.
Funeral attendees typically give condolence money to the family of the deceased. The amount given is typically an odd number. This is because even numbers are reserved for auspicious occasions.

At Taoist funerals, “ghost money” made out of joss paper is burned to assist the deceased in their travels in the afterlife.
Some Chinese families will take precautions to ensure evil spirits do not follow them home after a funeral. One common practice is to put out a bowl of water infused with pomegranate before leaving home.
Funeral parlours sometimes leave a bowl of pomegranate water at the exit for guests to wash their hands and faces with.
Although the initial mourning process is spread over a few days in Chinese culture, the soul of the deceased is believed to embark on a much longer journey, for which they might benefit from some help from this side.
In Chinese culture, souls are believed to go through a final judgment upon the death of the body. If a person has been bad in their lifetime, their soul may be tortured until they are absolved of their sins. Only then can they be reincarnated.
Various rituals have been developed in different parts of China to expedite the release of a deceased person’s soul from purgatory.

The most common way is by enlisting the help of monks, who pray and chant verses of Buddhist or Taoist scriptures.
In Hong Kong and other parts of southern China, a more elaborate and theatrical Taoist ritual called “breaking the hell’s gate” is carried out to help souls escape.
For this ritual, a Taoist priest builds a small structure with tiles (to represent the gates of hell), and places a small pot of boiling oil at the centre (to represent hell), eggs (to represent the soldiers guarding the gate), candles and joss sticks.
The monk, dressed in a traditional Taoist robe and headwear, then dances around the structure while swinging around a sword adorned with joss paper, to the fast beat of Chinese drums and cymbals.
The ritual intensifies as the monk sets the joss paper alight and begins to hop over the burning structure while spitting water into the pot of boiling oil, causing the fire to flare up.
The monk finally breaks the structure with his sword, which signifies the deceased soul’s successful release from purgatory.


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Chinese culture

Chinese funeral customs to pay respects to the dead, from what to wear to why age is key

A red wooden coffin at a Chinese funeral. Photo: Shutterstock

A Chinese funeral in Thailand. In Chinese communities around the world, there are many superstitions surrounding death and the mourning process. We look at some that ensure respect is shown and bad luck is avoided. Photo: Shutterstock

In Chinese culture, mirrors are traditionally removed from a person’s home after they die, to prevent their soul from searching in vain for its reflection. Photo: Shutterstock

Paper money and other items made out of joss paper are burned at Taoist funerals to aid the deceased in the afterlife. Photo: Shutterstock

Paper servants, to be burnt as offerings during a Taoist funeral, in Hung Hom, Hong Kong. Photo: Antony Dickson

Hong Kong’s ‘Ghost King’ on chasing spirits, his radio gigs and being a supernatural dud

Radio show host and ghost hunter Edmond Poon talks to the Post about collecting spooky stories. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Poon is the host of long-running online paranormal programme Twilight Online. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Poon on the set of his ViuTV show Talker: One Beside You. Photo: Edmond Poon

Poon uses a ghost-hunting app while seeking spirits. Photo: Edmond Poon

Poon sees himself first and foremost as a programme host. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Would you live in a ‘haunted’ Hong Kong flat, where someone died an unnatural death?

A view of the supposedly haunted Dragon Lodge on The Peak in Hong Kong. The stigma attached to living in a place where an unnatural death occurred makes it hard to rent or sell them, although deep discounts can work. Photo: Martin Chan

Joseph Ng Goon-lau, who buys and sells dozens of properties linked to unnatural deaths, in one of his flats in Mong Kok. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Inside one of Ng’s “hongza” flats in Mong Kok. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Flower bouquets and fruits placed outside the crime scene of the murder case of model, socialite, and influencer Abby Choi Tin-fung, in Lung Mei Village, Tai Po. Photo: Elson Li

This picture, taken in 2016, shows the building in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, in which Rurik Jutting murdered two women in a rented flat. Photo: Anthony Wallace

How to talk to the dead explained by a Chinese spirit medium in Hong Kong

Chinese spirit medium Lawrence Leung. Photo: Lawrence Leung

Chinese spirit medium Lawrence Leung says he learned to contact the dead after practising Luk Yam Taoism - one of two branches of Taoism in Hong Kong that mainly deal with spirits and ghosts. Photo: Lawrence Leung

Lawrence Leung says ghosts in Southeast Asia are stronger than those in Hong Kong. Photo: Lawrence Leung

Leung says it is harder for ghosts and spirits to bother people who have done a lot of good deeds and have good intentions. Photo: Lawrence Leung

Leung says he once saw the ghost of an obese woman sitting on a bed in a Nyonya house in Malaysia with both her arms around the necks of two weaker ghosts. Illustration: Henry Wong

Lifestyle

Arts & Culture

Culture

Chinese superstitions

Chinese pregnancy food superstitions and traditions, from eating dog heads to no coffee

Eating a white-haired dog’s head was said to ensure an easy birth in Chinese lore. Photo: Shutterstock

Chinese people have many traditions and superstitions about what to eat and not eat during pregnancy, some based on traditional Chinese medicine. Photo: Shutterstock

One superstition in Hangzhou was that women should use a small rice bowl for their evening meal to “prevent the fetal head from being too large”. Photo: Shutterstock

Fried crab at Hee Kee Crab General in Causeway Bay. Some believe that ingredients such as snake, prawn and crab should be avoided. Photo Paul Yeung

Women are told to avoid inky ingredients like black sesame to prevent giving birth to a baby with a darker complexion. Photo: Shutterstock

Yuki Maryrose Leung with her husband, Spencer, and son Liam. Leung did not follow a lot of the advice circulating among the Chinese community when it came to what not to eat. Photo: Anna Maria Studio

Patricia Chan, also known as Aunty Pat, is a confinement nurse trained in Hong Kong. Photo: Patricia Chan

Post-partum recovery teas consist of ingredients such as goji berries, red dates and Chinese herbs. Photo: Shutterstock

Post-partum women are encouraged to eat more heating foods to bring their bodies back into equilibrium and bathe with ginger water. Photo: Shutterstock

5 films about Chinese superstitions, from hopping vampires to ghosts to curses

A still from The Eye (2002), one of five films we look at whose narratives draw on Chinese superstition and the supernatural. 

5 Hong Kong film set superstitions, from rites to lucky red envelopes for death scenes

Andy Lau Tak-wah in a scene from the film Fat Choi Spirit. Actors in a death scene are given red envelopes contaning money to dispel bad luck. Photo: China Star Entertainment Group

The cutting open of a roasted pig is considered part and parcel of starting a new TV production. Photo: Sam Tsang

Death scene performers get lai see, or red envelopes, to dispel bad juju after filming. Photo: Shutterstock 

When filming in nature and at abandoned sites, a film crew will invite a shaman to perform rites to ask nearby spirits to kindly not to disrupt their process. Photo: Shutterstock

What is villain hitting? Voodoo-like Chinese practice is not as sinister as it sounds

A practitioner performs a villain-hitting ritual in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Fortune-tellers break down the practice and explain its history. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Tong Pik-ha, also known as Master Tong, is a feng shui master. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Andrew Kwan is a feng shui master. Photo: Andrew Kwan

A practitioner performs a villain hitting ceremony for a client in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Photo: Sam Tsang

Villain hitting in Causeway Bay. There are three groups of people – pregnant women, children and the elderly – that cannot be the target of villain hitting. Photo: Jonathan Wong

A practitioner performs villain hitting in Causeway Bay. The practice is mostly seen in Hong Kong. Photo: Sam Tsang

5 tips to avoid ghosts in your hotel, from knocking before entering to covering mirrors

We offer a few ways to avoid disturbing the spirits when you are travelling, even if your hotel is haunted like the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles is said to be. Photo: Reuters

A still from security camera footage showing Elisa Lam Ho-yi entering a lift in the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, where she died in unexplained circumstances in 2013. Photo: YouTube

Firefighters found Lam’s body inside a water tank on the roof of the Cecil Hotel (also called the Hotel Cecil). Photo: Reuters

The inside of the Grand Hyatt Taipei hotel, which is said to be haunted. Photo: Shutterstock

The exterior of the Grand Hyatt Taipei. Inside, disembodied children’s voices have been reported in its corridors. Photo: Facebook/Grand Hyatt Taipei

The lobby of the Bangkok Palace Hotel, which also has a reputation for being haunted. Photo: Facebook/Bangkok Palace Hotel

Lucky phone numbers and wedding dates to dining don’ts, Chinese numerology superstitions

Law Ting-pong, chairman of Laws Fashion Knitters, and Miss Hong Kong Pauline Yeung Po-ling holding up two licence plates numbered 8 for which Law paid HK$5 mllion at auction in February 1988. Photo: SCMP 

A Chinese luo pan compass used in feng shui. Some numbers are seen as lucky in Chinese culture, while others are believed to be unlucky. We look at five areas to maximise good fortune, including phone numbers and dates for special occasions. Photo: Shutterstock

Floor numbers are taken seriously in Chinese culture, with the fourth floor being “missed out” in many buildings because 4 sounds similar to the word for death in Cantonese and Mandarin. Photo: Shutterstock

A car registration plate auction in Hong Kong. Plates with auspicious number combinations have historically been sold for a pretty penny in the city. Photo: Robert Ng

A stall selling SIM cards attached to different phone numbers in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong. The combinations of digits phone numbers contain are believed to determine whether they are lucky or unlucky. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Ordering seven dishes at a restaurant is seen as unlucky in Chinese culture; ordering an even number is seen as better. Photo: Shutterstock

A wedding party gathered in West Kowloon, Hong Kong. Choosing a wedding date can be tricky for Chinese couples as the bride and groom must take into account their birthdays and those of their parents. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Dreams about snakes or wedding dresses? An expert breaks down Chinese dream interpretation

Monita, a Hong Kong-based dream interpretation specialist, breaks down Chinese dream interpretation and its relevance today. Photo: Instagram/_hungpage_

The meaning of one’s dreams have been a source of intrigue since ancient times in China and everywhere. Photo: Shutterstock

Monita is a dream interpretation specialist in Hong Kong. Photo: @_hungpage_

Dream therapy can be a source of healing for clients, helping them understand their traumas and suppressed emotions. Photo: @_hungpage_

Monita advises that dream interpretation, like tarot card reading, should at most give warnings, but not predict someone’s fortune. Photo: @_hungpage_

A feng shui master’s guide to making your office more productive, and why ‘balance’ is key

Hong Kong feng shui master Thierry Chow designs productive workspaces. She talks to the post about using lighting and colours to achieve balanced energy, and why every space needs a different approach. Photo: Xiaomei Chen


Chow was inspired to become a feng shui designer by her father, feng shui master Chow Hon-ming. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Chow says introducing colourful objects to a workspace can promote creativity and positivity. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

One of numerous buildings in Hong Kong that features a hole in its centre in line with feng shui principles. Hong Kong takes the ancient Chinese practice seriously. Photo: Jelly Tse

Viral TikTok videos from Singaporean architect bring feng shui to a whole new audience

Singaporean architect Cliff Tan in a still from one of his Instagram videos. Photo: Instagram/dearmodern

Singaporean architect Cliff Tan in a still from one of his Instagram videos. Tan has earned millions of followers across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube with his quirky viral videos that feature feng shui tips. Photo: Instagram/dearmodern

The “before” of a Hong Kong flat (the “after” is below) with seemingly no other possible layout. Photo: Cliff Tan

The “after” of the flat. “We changed it completely and made the space so much more spacious and natural,” Tan says. Photo: Cliff Tan

Tan founded his own practice, Design Modern, in 2016. Photo: Cliff Tan 

Tan’s clients come from all over the world. Photo: Cliff Tan

From burning money to avoiding certain dates and mirrors, mourning dos and don’ts in Chinese culture to help souls pass into the afterlife


There are many superstitions surrounding funerals in Chinese culture, from the age of guests to helping the soul escape hell. We look at how to ensure respect is shown and bad luck is avoided.


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Explainer

Explainer | Chinese funeral customs to pay respects to the dead, from what to wear to why age is key

From burning money to avoiding certain dates and mirrors, mourning dos and don’ts in Chinese culture to help souls pass into the afterlife