Author Archives: f0031y9

Chopsticks Upright in Food

Title: Chopsticks Upright in Food

General Information about Item:

Bad Luck Superstition
Language: Chinese
Country of Origin: China
Informant: Siyao Wang
Date Collected: 10-28-2018

Informant Data:

Siyao Wang is a 25 year old man from Beijing, China. He has lived his entire life in Beijing and attended university there. He graduated from medical school last year and is now a sports medicine doctor.

Contextual Data:

Cultural Context: Taoism has played an important role in Chinese culture. It is an ancient ideology that has influenced all areas of life in China, and has even effected the bad luck superstitions that many Chinese people hold today. One important aspect of Taoism is its concern with the dead and ghosts. When a person dies in China, often a bowl of rice with chopsticks upright is placed on the grave. This is in case the dead person gets hungry.
Social Context: Siyao learnt this superstition at school as Taoist principles are often taught at a young age. This is a superstition that Chinese people are very careful to uphold. Siyao explained to me that this is “traditional Chinese culture” that is considered highly important throughout the country.

Item:

It is considered bad luck if one places chopsticks upright in their bowl of food.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Informant’s Comments:

Siyao explained that Chinese people are very concerned with the dead and ghosts. Chinese people are very careful so as not to offend the dead and reap the consequences. That is why people leave food at the grave of a dead person, as they are trying to stay in their good graces so that they are not haunted for years to come. Siyao emphasized to me the extent to which Chinese people are worried about appeasing the dead and not insulting them. If chopsticks are placed in the food upright this may awaken the dead and the food immediately becomes “for the dead people”.

Collector’s Comments:

This superstition greatly emphasized the importance of appeasing the dead in Chinese culture and thus reveals how much Taoism has influenced modern day China. Reminders of the dead are often considered bad luck in Chinese and thus many superstitions have arisen about objects/actions associated with death.

Collector’s Name: Sebastian Carter

Tags/Keywords:

Customary Lore
Bad Luck Superstition
Chopsticks upright in food

Wall in front of House

Wall in front of House

General Information about Item:

Bad Luck Superstition
Language: English/Chinese
Country of Origin: China
Informant: Siyao Wang
Date Collected: 10-28-2018

Informant Data:

Siyao Wang is a 25 year old man from Beijing, China. He has lived his entire life in Beijing and attended university there. He graduated from medical school last year and is now a sports medicine doctor.

Contextual Data:

Cultural Context: Taoism has played a large role in Chinese culture. It is an ancient ideology that has influenced all areas of life in China, and has even effected the bad luck superstitions that many Chinese people hold today. One important aspect of Taoism is its belief in the supernatural. The beliefs of taoism are often concerned with ghosts, who generally have a negative impact on humans. This has influenced the belief in the “hungry ghost”, which Chinese people believe is a ghost that arose from someone who had an untimely death. This ghost is feared in Chinese culture and thus it has brought about many Chinese superstitions.
Social Context: Siyao learnt this superstition from general Chinese popular culture as it is very well known. Siyao believes in this superstition as he greatly respects and appreciates the principles of Taoism.

Item:

It is considered bad luck if there is not a wall past the gate of your house.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Informant’s Comments:

Siyao explained that Chinese people believe heavily in the presence of ghosts, but a unique feature is that they can only walk straight ahead. He said that a gate welcomes people to enter your home, and so a ghost may go through it, however if there is not a wall past the gate then the ghost will be able to walk straight into your home and avenge his death on the living. So, placing a wall past the gate prohibits the ghost from entering your home. As a result, a lack of a wall past the gate of your home is often considered bad luck in Chinese culture.

Collector’s Comments:

I thought this superstition was very interesting, particularly how it reveals much about Chinese culture. Ghosts and the supernatural play an important role in Chinese culture and as a result many superstitions have been influenced by them. The belief in “Hungry Ghosts” and the fact they are only able to walk straight ahead is very interesting and explains clearly why walls are often placed after the gates of homes in China.

Collector’s Name: Sebastian Carter

Tags/Keywords:

Customary Lore
Bad Luck Superstition
Wall in front of home

Scholar Tree & Willow Tree

Title: Scholar Tree & Willow Tree

General Information about Item:

Customary Lore, Bad Luck Superstion
Language: English/Chinese
Country of Origin: China
Informant: Hesheng Zhang
Date Collected: 10-31-2018

Informant Data:

Hesheng Zhang is a man from Western China that has recently moved to the United States. He teaches within the Chinese department at Dartmouth.

Contextual Data:

Cultural Context: Taoism is an ancient Chinese ideology that focuses on balance in life. Balance can be achieved through the principle of Yin and Yang. Yin represents the negative and darkness, whereas Yang represents the positive and lightness. Taoism is also concerned with the presence and effects of ghosts. So, superstitions in Chinese culture have often been influenced by Taoism, in particular the Yin and Yang concept as well as the supernatural aspect. It is important to note that scholartrees and willow trees are used in China as grave markers and are often associated with this purpose.
Social Context: This is a superstition that Mr. Zhang learnt through his parents. This superstition is often taught within the household, because it pertains to the house.

Item:

In Chinese culture, it is considered bad luck to plant Chinese Scholartrees or Willow trees within the house. Scholartrees and willow trees are often used in China as grave markers, and thus they are often associated with death. As a result, these two trees are examples of Yin, and must not be planted within homes, or else evil spirits may arise in one’s house.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Transcript:

“Scholartree often makes Chinese people imagine ghosts. Do you know Yin and Yang? We think scholartrees represent Yin and willow trees represent Yin as well. We think death is Yin, so we do not plant scholartrees around the house or else a ghost may come.”

Informant’s Comments:

Hesheng Zhang believes in this superstition and considers it very bad luck to plant these types of trees in his house.

Collector’s Comments:

I found it very interesting how ancient Chinese philosophies, like Taoism, have been able to influence Chinese superstitions to this day. This bad luck superstition is believed entirely by Chinese people due to how ingrained Taoism is in their culture. I am also interested in how the use of these trees has impacted the culture’s perception of them. Being used as grave markers has translated into an association with death and ghosts.

Collector’s Name: Sebastian Carter

Tags/Keywords:

Customary Lore
Bad Luck Superstitions
Scholartrees and Willow trees