“Papa! What’s Money?”
“Papa! What’s Money?”
An Enduring Question Finds Answers in Burning It for the Spirits of the Dead in China
This chapter explores the nature of value in ancient Chinese spiritual practices of burning paper replicas of valuable things—most often money—for the spirits of deceased family ancestors. Paper money (zhĭqián) is used as the central motif in this discussion. It refers to paper replicas of things that take the form of money plus all the things that money can buy. Furthermore paper money is an integral part of local Chinese customs and ritual practices. Thus the chapter examines how discourse on the value of money can reveal the “bigger questions” implicit in becoming human, by exploring the particular rituals of Yu County—whose citizens traditionally engage in the paper-cutting craft to augment their income from agriculture.
Keywords: paper money, zhĭqián, China, Yu County, burning paper, Chinese spiritual practices, paper cutting
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