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 Chmese superstitions. 
 
 3 1924 023 505 682 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis bool< is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023505682 
 
11^ 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
SOME PUBLICATIONS OF THE 
 CHINA INLAND MISSION. 
 
 The Story of the China Inland Mission. 
 
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 A Retrospect. 1/- net. 
 
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 Map of China. 81- net to 1/6 pub. 
 Chinese Post Cards. 6d. per pacl<et. 
 
Froiitispiecr: 
 
 Objects connected with Superstition. 
 
 1. Abacus. 2. Bamboo Basket, and 2a. Iron Tongs, used by Paper Collector. 
 
 3. Bamboo Brushes. 4. Sky Lamps. 5. " One Good '* Tablet. 6. Eel Trap. 
 
 7. Mount T'ai Stone Pillar. 8. Stuffed Tiger. 9. Demon-Capturing Rings. 
 
 10. Jars for Sealing up Demons. 11. The Marriage Telescope. 
 
Chinese 
 Superstitions 
 
 BY 
 
 J. VALE 
 
 LONDON: CHINA INLAND MISSION, 
 NEWINGTON GREEN, N.; MORGAN 
 AND SCOTT, 12, PATERNOSTER 
 BUILDINGS, E.C. 
 
 1906. 
 
/. 
 
 T: 
 
 \ 
 
 
 W.I f C- f ^ 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Supefstitions Confined to Certain Classes of Society 7 
 
 PART II. 
 
 Superstitions Common to all Classes. 
 
 I.— Old Wives' Superstitions 15 
 
 II. — Superstitions in Connection with Sickness and 
 
 Disease 24 
 
 III. — Superstitions in Connection with Marriage, 
 
 Birth, Death and Burial 42 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THE least observant traveller in China quickly learns 
 that the Chinese are a very superstitious race. 
 If he travels by boat, he soon discovers that a 
 " lucky day " must be secured before the boatmen can 
 be persuaded to move, no matter how pressing the 
 traveller's business may be. If he secures the services 
 of a carter, a barrowman, or sedan coolie, he is early 
 face to face with some of their superstitions, which may 
 cause delay, misunderstanding, or even revolt, in his 
 camp ! The southern provinces of China are said to 
 be much more superstitious than the northern, and 
 the western provinces, especially Si-chuen, more super- 
 stitious than either. The Si-chuen proverb, that "Si- 
 chuen is an evil spirit region, where truth lies dead, 
 and falsehood rules the reason," seems to bear this out. 
 
 Having chosen "Chinese Superstitions" as a subject 
 for a Paper to be read before the Chentu Association, I 
 naturally turned to various authorities on China to see 
 what others had done in this line, and I was some- 
 what surprised to find how little had been written on this 
 subject. True, Doolittle, Dyer Ball, and others, had 
 done something, but I found no collection of Chinese 
 superstitions J only isolated notices scattered through 
 the works of various writers on China and the Chinese. 
 It need hardly be said that in no sense have I attempted 
 to exhaust this subject in the present collection. I have 
 
simply collected and arranged a number of the more 
 prominent superstitions which have fallen under my 
 notice, leaving the task of writing an exhaustive work 
 on this subject to some future hand. 
 
 Although the superstitions herein describe^ were 
 collected in Western China, yet many of them are 
 common to all the eighteen provinces, and generally 
 believed in by the Chinese race. 
 
 If the reading of this booklet leads to a better under- 
 standing of the mental and spiritual darkness and super- 
 stition of the Chinese people, the time spent on its 
 preparation will not have been in vain. 
 
 J. VALE. 
 
 London. 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 By JOSHUA VALE. 
 
 For convenience of treatment the subject is divided 
 into two parts, viz. : — 
 
 I. — Superstitions Confined to Certain Classes 
 OF Society. 
 
 II. — Superstitions Common to all Classes. 
 
 Under the first division brief reference is made to 
 some superstitions common among boatmen, chair- 
 coolies, miners, tradesmen, etc. 
 
 Under the second I have gathered together a miscel- 
 laneous collection of superstitions, and arranged them 
 under three heads, viz. : — 
 
 1. Old wives' superstitions. 
 
 2. Superstitions in connection with sickness and disease. 
 
 3. Superstitions in connection with marriages, births 
 
 deaths and burials. 
 
 PART I.— SUPERSTITIONS CONFINED TO 
 CERTAIN CLASSES OF SOCIETY. 
 
 Under this heading have been selected a few of the 
 more prominent classes, such as boatmen, coolies, trades- 
 men, etc., etc., the less prominent being left to be dealt 
 with in the second part. 
 
 7 
 
8 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 BOATMEN'S SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 One of the first superstitions in connection with boat- 
 men which strikes the newcomer to China, is their 
 belief in "lucky" and "unlucky" days. Every boat 
 captain about to start on a journey, ascertains which is a 
 lucky day for casting anchor ; and though he may only 
 move a few hundred yards on that day, his heart is set 
 at rest as to the success of the journey itself. In con- 
 nection with the casting of the anchor there is also the 
 sacrificing of the " cock " to the god of the river amid the 
 firing of crackers, and the beating of the gong. 
 
 Another boatman's superstition is connected with whist- 
 ling, and howling, for the wind. Boatmen, too, are very 
 superstitious about fixing the place for anchoring at night. 
 If you make inquiry about this, you rarely get a decided 
 answer, as he supposes that to name the place is unlucky, 
 and some accident may happen in consequence. Women 
 are not allowed to enter a boat over the bow, but always 
 from the side. No one is allowed to stand on the 
 extreme end of the boat at the bow, as this is the place 
 occupied by "the river god." Any one unwittingly doing 
 this is liable to a fine of a " meat dinner " for all hands ! 
 
 Boatmen consider it unlucky to count the number of 
 persons on a boat, as some may be missing before the 
 journey's end in consequence. Most foreigners break 
 this rule immediately they start on a journey, as they are 
 anxious to see that the captain has the full number of his 
 crew. Many of the names of articles in use on a boat are 
 changed if the sound has anything at all unlucky con- 
 nected with it ; for instance, no word with the sound of 
 /am, to "overturn," must be used for fear that that 
 calamity should happen to the boat. For the same 
 reason no boatman will use the verb iao, to " pour out," 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 9 
 
 or too, "tumble over," but always substitutes the word 
 cKuin. A vegetable much used by boatmen is called wong- 
 ts'ai, which sound is very unlucky because the word to 
 " engulf " or " submerge " is lomg ; therefore, the name 
 of this vegetable is changed to t'en-t'en ts'ai, lest at some 
 dangerous rapid or whirlpool the unlucky boat should 
 be " submerged " or " engulfed." 
 
 The Chinese "landsman," who first takes a boat 
 journey, is careful to enquire what are " the words to be 
 avoided" on board, lest having unconsciously trans- 
 gressed, he find all the crew on strike and himself 
 obliged to pay a "meat dinner " to all on board before 
 they can be persuaded to continue their journey ! 
 
 CHAIR COOLIES' SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 A chair-bearer or other coolie is very careful, when 
 about to start on a journey, not to use the words "tiger," 
 "dragon," "demon," or "snake," for fear that one of these 
 creatures should meet him on the road. 
 
 Chair coolies regard the cross pole on the front of a 
 chair as sacred, and no lady is allowed to enter or come 
 out of a chair stepping over this pole. Anyone doing so 
 is liable to a hearty cursing from the chair-bearer, as he 
 supposes that boils will grow on his shoulders in con- 
 sequence of her disregard of this rule. The same rule 
 applies to the carrying-pole of the coolie. Coolies are 
 always careful to rest their poles against a wall when not 
 carrying anything, lest anyone should step over them. 
 A chair coolie whilst carrying a chair must not remove 
 the ashes out of his pipe by knocking it against the 
 poles. If he does so the poles are sure to break before 
 the journey's end! Chair coolies have three places 
 where they must not change shoulders when carrying a 
 
lo CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 chair : (l) in front of a temple, lest they show disrespect to 
 the idols ; (2) on a bridge, for fear of .oiFending the Bridge 
 Guardian ; (3) in front of a chair shop, lest someone should 
 take his job from him ! Chair coolies object to carrying 
 old straw sandals on the back of a chair ; they throw such 
 sandals out of reach of "Sandal Collectors," (who use 
 old sandals as fuel), lest they get blisters on their feet. 
 Coolies are very superstitious about getting their heads 
 wet by rain when on a journey, because they believe 
 that each drop of rain produces a creature, the name of 
 which rhymes with " house " ! 
 
 No chair-bearer or other coolie must dress stamding on 
 the bed, but must descend to the floor before doing so. 
 This is said to be one of the greatest offences a coolie 
 can commit, and is punished by the whole party refusing 
 to proceed on their journey that day, and the whole of 
 the men's expenses being charged to the transgressor. 
 The reason given is that a man thus standing on the bed 
 
 exalts himself above his fellows," and betokens that 
 robbers or some evil characters who "oppress" their 
 fellows, are lurking on the way. 
 
 MINERS' SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 Lucky and unlucky days are much observed by miners, 
 as dire calamity is sure to follow the commencement of 
 operations on an unlucky day. Words with unlucky 
 sounds are also carefully avoided. The words diing, 
 hmng, too, and taJi must on no consideration be used. 
 The word chmg is said to be too suggestive of "beggary," 
 " loneliness," etc., etc. ; and the word too oi " stumbling '' 
 or " falling," and that of tah to the collapse of the roof 
 of the pit, etc., etc. The fine imposed upon any work- 
 man who uses these words is, that the whole set of 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS ii 
 
 miners in that particular mine take a holiday on the day 
 the unlucky word is used ; and their food be paid for by 
 the man who used the word. 
 TRADESMEN'S SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 The selection of a lucky day, and the worship of the 
 "god of riches" are considered as absolutely indispensable 
 when opening a new shop, or commencing business after 
 the New Year or other public holiday. Dyer Ball, in 
 his book, " Things Chinese," tells of a curious custom in 
 Canton, as follows : " When at daylight the shutters are 
 taken down, the shopman ensures good luck for the day 
 by shaking the balls of the abacus (Frontispiece, Fig. l), 
 at first slowly, but gradually increasing in speed until a 
 continuous clicking sound is produced." I have not heard 
 of such a custom in Si-chuen, but a similar object is 
 gained by " washing the abacus," every morning before 
 business. This is done by picking it up from the 
 counter, giving it a vigorous shake, and then wiping 
 it with a duster or brushing it with a feather brush to 
 dislodge any demons who may have lodged there during 
 the night ! 
 
 Shopkeepers are very careful that no quarrelling, 
 cursing, or fighting take place between the 15th of the 
 last and the 15th of the first month, lest bad luck follow 
 in the ensuing year, and end in ruin and bankruptcy. 
 
 Apprentices, when removing the shutters in the morn- 
 ing, must not talk to each other, or shout to fellow 
 apprentices across the street, lest any demons, who have 
 been lurking on the street during the night, should be 
 attracted by their voices and enter the shop. 
 
 Such words as "fire," "death," "demons," or any 
 other unlucky word, must be carefully avoided in the 
 early morning, or at the opening of a new shop. 
 
12 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 Great solicitation is felt by the shopman when he opens 
 afresh at the New Year, that the first customer be a 
 person of some standing or belonging to the "lucky class"; 
 as the luck of the ensuing year is supposed to depend on 
 the first person who enters his shop. 
 
 SUPERSTITIONS OF THE LITERATI AND 
 OFFICIALS. 
 
 In most civilized countries superstitions are largely 
 confined to the more ignorant classes of the people, and 
 are not found among the educated, but in China the 
 literati and gentry seem quite as superstitious as the 
 common people j in fact, they are the leaders in many of 
 the common superstitions, such as the "feng-shui" 
 (geomancy) and reverence for written characters. 
 
 Every district city has one or more pagodas built by 
 subscriptions from the gentry, to control the literary 
 influences of the district. No mining operations may 
 take place in certain districts for fear of disturbing the 
 literary influences so precious to the superstitious gentry 
 and scholars. In some cities no flour mills are allowed 
 for the same reason. 
 
 In a certain city in West China, in the year 1888, a 
 fine white pagoda, which had only been built a few years 
 previous, was being pulled down because the literary 
 influence of the surrounding district had been disturbed 
 by the Dragon, who was feeling uncomfortable by the 
 excessive weight upon his body ; the result being that no 
 M.A. degrees had been obtained for several years. 
 When the pagoda had been reduced to one half its height 
 the M.A. degree was obtained by a scholar of the city, 
 who received the congratulations of the rejoicing literati. 
 
 Disrespect shown to written characters, or the wilful 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 13 
 
 misuse of printed or written paper, is a great crime in the 
 eyes of the literati. Societies are, therefore, formed for 
 the collection of such paper ; and Paper "Treasuries" are 
 built in every city, where such paper is carefully burned 
 by the agents of the societies who collect it. These 
 societies distribute bamboo baskets (Frontispiece, Fig. 2) 
 to shop-keepers, schools, etc., and all written paper is 
 carefully put therein. Iron tongs (Frontispiece, Fig. 2 a) 
 are used by the paper collector to remove advertise- 
 ments, bills, etc., from walls or posting stations, 'etc. 
 My first teacher, a Confucianist, used to tell of cases, 
 known to himself, of men who had gone blind, and others 
 who had come to want, through neglect to reverence 
 written characters. In my innocence I ventured to 
 ask what would happen to rats who dared to gnaw the 
 Sacred Books? His prompt reply was. "They will 
 lose their teeth." This same teacher also informed 
 me that the essays of the scholars who entered for the 
 Triennial Exams, were burned in a "clean place," and 
 the ashes sent by the officials to the manager of the 
 provincial mint, who used these ashes to form moulds for 
 the brass coins in common use. "That is the reason," 
 said he, " that the characters on the coins are so distinct " ! 
 The literary class are not noted for being over religious, 
 but when they are about to enter the examination halls 
 they are in great fear of demons, and they often give 
 alms, burn incense, distribute moral literature, pick up 
 bits of written paper, etc., etc., in order to get merit and 
 counteract the influence of these demons who are seeking 
 to destroy their chances of success. When a district is 
 fortunate enough to produce a Poet Laureate, the wife 
 of this man is requested by the people of the district to 
 visit all the city gates, and scatter before each a handful 
 
14 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 of rice, that the whole population may share in the good 
 luck of her household. 
 
 The literati are often very superstitious in regard to 
 the characters which form their names. If their luck is 
 bad and no degrees are obtained, a fortune-teller is 
 consulted, who informs the enquirer that too much of 
 one of the "five elements" enters into his name. A 
 man, for instance, whose name is made up of the 
 " metal " radical and a phonetic, has too much of the 
 " metal " element, which is weighing him down, and he is 
 advised to change it to one with the water" or earth" 
 radical, and thus bring about a balance of the elements, 
 and a return of good luck. I know one official in this 
 province whose luck was thus impaired by too much 
 metal, and who was advised by a fortune-teller to 
 change the character to one with three metal radicals, 
 and thus by adding " metal upon metal," counteract the 
 bad influences which were against him ! 
 

 Objects connected -with Superstition. 
 
 1. Hor?ie Shoe Charm. 2. Caterpillar Maiden. 3. Hill Guard. 4. Eight Diagram 
 
 Board. 5. Soul Binder. 6, 6a. Hundred Name Locks. 7. 7a. 7b. "Finger Posts" 
 
 and General's Arrow. 8. Spirit Ladder. 9. " Dread Day " Tablet. 
 
PART II.— SUPERSTITIONS COMMON 
 TO ALL CLASSES. 
 
 I.— OLD WIVES' SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 A number of superstitions which do not readily fall 
 to any other group, I have placed under the head of Old 
 Wives' Superstitions." Not that these superstitions are 
 confined to " old wives," but I use the term to classify a 
 number of the more silly superstitions common among 
 all classes. 
 
 THROWING THE SPIRIT PLUM. 
 
 In some parts of Si-chuen a curious superstition 
 prevails as follows : On the 5th of the 5th moon, crowds 
 of men, women and children repair to some high place 
 near the city they live in, and bands of young men, 
 more or less under the influence of drink, collect on 
 these high places and throw unripe plums at the crowds 
 assembled below. Any man who secures a plum is sure 
 of good luck and prosperity for the ensuing year; any 
 woman, desirous of obtaining a son, eating one of these 
 plums will surely realise her desire. The origin of this 
 custom is wrapt in mystery. 
 
 THE LUMINOUS FUR SPIRIT CAT CHARM. 
 
 This charm is a picture, printed on yellow paper, of 
 a large cat with a rat in its mouth and one under its 
 
 15 
 
i6 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 paw. Cats are not allowed to roam at their will in 
 China, but are tied to the leg of a table or a block of 
 wood to prevent them from straying. Eats are often seen 
 running across a room where the cat is thus made fast, of 
 course, knowing that " puss " is tied. If the natural cat 
 cannot rid the house of rats, then " spirit " cats, whose 
 fur is supposed to emit a luminous light, are used instead. 
 These charm cats, to be efficacious, must be pasted in the 
 kitchen, on the left hand side of the kitchen god, some- 
 time during the early hours of the morning. The light 
 emitted from the cat's brown fur is supposed to frighten 
 away all the rats. 
 
 CAWING OF THE CROW. 
 
 The Chinese are much alarmed if crows, in their flight, 
 set up a wa-wa-wa sound, as it is believed to indicate 
 death to someone in the house they fly over. 
 
 DOG OR COCK ON THE ROOF. 
 
 If a dog or a cock is seen on the roof of a house they 
 are hastily driven down, as this is a sure sign of fire in 
 the house below. 
 
 HOW TO STOP A FIRE. 
 
 A man should climb to the roof of the house, smash 
 six eggs, and throw a handful of rice into the flames. 
 When ordinary means fail to stop the progress of a fire, 
 it is the duty of the mandarin. to sacrifice himself for the 
 good of the people by flinging himself into the flames 
 to appease the appetite of the fire god. The wily 
 Celestial, to save his skin, does this by proxy ; he throws 
 in his dress, his hat, and his boots. 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 17 
 
 DOGS HOWLING AT NIGHT, 
 
 If dogs set up a low whine or howl at night, they are 
 supposed to have seen demons enter the house, and a 
 death is sure to follow. 
 
 A SNAKE IN THE HOUSE. 
 
 A snake found hiding in a house causes great alarm to 
 the inmates, who helieve it to he one of their ancestors 
 returned in that shape because of the neglect of their 
 descendants to supply their wants in Hades. The 
 unlucky visitor is worshipped, and sent forth with 
 incense or paper money, or in some cases it is fed and 
 cared for till it "moves off" on its own accord. 
 
 A SPARROW'S NEST IN A SKY LAMP. 
 
 If a sparrow makes its nest in the box of the T'ien- 
 teng, or sky lamp (light to guide wandering spirits home), 
 the people say that a fire will take place in that vicinity, 
 and a Taoist priest is called in to return thanks to the 
 planet Mars, who presides over the " fire element." 
 
 LUCKY DAYS. 
 
 Lucky days are carefully calculated and recorded in 
 the Imperial Almanac, and are rigidly observed by all 
 who wish prosperity in any calling in life. A boy cannot 
 go to school till the lucky day comes round ; the master 
 announces a series of lucky days, upon any of which the 
 scholars may enter school ; the business man, the boat- 
 man, the coolie, the student, in fact, all sorts and 
 conditions of men are bound by this superstition. There 
 are certain days which are very lucky, others that are a 
 little less so. The same applies to unlucky days, but 
 there are twelve days in the year which everyone must 
 
i8 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 avoid ; these are called the days that Yangkong of the 
 Ming dynasty avoided, and are as follows : 13th of the 
 1st month; 11th of the 2nd; 9th of the 3rd; 7th of 
 the 4th ; 5th of the 5th ; 3rd of the 6th ; 1st of the 7th ; 
 29th of the 7th ; 27th of the 8th ; 25th of the 9th ; 
 23rd of the 10th; 21st of the 11th ; and 19th of the 
 12th, respectively. No one will contract a marriage, 
 bury the dead, move into a new house, take a long 
 journey or do anything of importance on these days. 
 
 THE COMET CHARM. 
 
 If a son is reckless and disobedient, the parents some- 
 times consult the fortune-teller, who informs them that 
 their son has " met with a comet," which has upset his 
 mind. The parents are then recommended to buy two 
 bamboo brushes (Frontispiece, Fig. 3), used to clean 
 out the Chinese cooking pot, and hang them up, one on 
 either side of the door, and this will counteract the 
 influence of the comet. The idea for selecting the 
 bamboo brush is because it is somewhat of a comet- 
 shape ; and the numberless strips of bamboo are like the 
 numberless tricks and pranks a profligate son indulges in. 
 
 THE HORSESHOE CHARM. 
 
 The horseshoe charm (Photo, facing page 15, Fig. l) 
 made from an old horseshoe, is used by very small chil- 
 dren who have transgressed against the "night-horse 
 star." This charm is worn to prevent any evil influences 
 which may be lurking around when the child goes abroad, 
 from harming the child. After five or six years of age 
 this charm is discarded as the child is then supposed to 
 be proof against such evil influences. Rich people use 
 silver instead of iron, and an abacus, or pair of scissors, 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 19 
 
 is engraved upon the ring to indicate that the child, if a 
 boy, will he good at arithmetic, or if a girl, clever at 
 needlework. 
 
 NINE-HEADED MONSTER. 
 
 Soon after arriving in Kia-ting, in Si-chuen, I was 
 suddenly awakened one night by a deafening banging 
 of doors and window panels ; thinking that a fire had 
 broken out, I ran outside to enquire where it was, but 
 was informed that it was the "nine-headed monster" 
 flying over, that had caused the commotion ! The 
 common belief is that this creature, in the shape of a 
 large bird, has nine heads, and drops down blood as it 
 flies over, which causes the death of someone on whose 
 house it drops. The banging of the panels and doors is 
 to hurry it on its way. One moonlight night I dis- 
 covered that this dreaded monster was a flock of wild 
 geese flying overhead at a great height ; but I failed to 
 convince the Chinese that what they so much dreaded 
 was nothing more dreadful than a flock of harmless 
 wild geese. 
 
 FIRING AT THE PHCENIX MOUND. 
 
 The Chinese have many superstitious notions in regard 
 to producing rain, such as striking great bells, or tablets, 
 etc. The method in Si-chuen for producing a plentiful 
 supply of rain is very curious, but simple. Some six or 
 seven English miles outside the north gate of the capital 
 (Chentu), there is a low range of hills called the "Phoenix 
 Hill." On a day fixed, soon after the harvest moon, by 
 the Governor-General, who has previously consulted a 
 geomancer on the subject, the high provincial officials, 
 both civil and military, repair to this spot to witness of 
 
20 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 take part in the ceremony of "Shooting the Phoenix 
 Hill." The City Guard, led by the Commander-in-Chief, 
 proceed to this spot, and fire volleys at this hill. 
 Cannon are also used on special occasions when drought 
 is severe. The origin of this superstition is as follows : — 
 At the end of the Ming dynasty (1644) the famous 
 rebel leader Chang, of Manifest Loyalty, who devastated 
 the province of Sirchuen, was killed at a place called 
 Hsi Chong by the Manchu general, and his body, or 
 what remained of it after the punishment of "slicing 
 to pieces " had been carried out, was buried at the foot 
 of this hill. The joy of the people at the death of this 
 tyrant was so great that, at the anniversary of his death, 
 they fired crackers and guns over his grave. In the 
 course of years this firing of guns, which probably pro- 
 duced rain, was turned into a ceremony for producing 
 rain for the ensuing year. The original object of the firing 
 has been forgotten in the lapse of years, but the cere- 
 mony is religiously performed every year with favourable 
 results. The general who put Chang to death erected 
 a stone tablet over his grave with the following 
 inscription : — 
 
 " His death took place at Hsi Chong town ; 
 
 His corpse was layed in Phoenix Mound. 
 
 Each year as harvest moon comes round, 
 
 The peal of joyful guns resound." 
 
 HAUNTED HOUSES. 
 
 The Chinese are firm believers in ghosts ; and haunted 
 houses, with their blood-curdling stories, are staple con- 
 versation in the tea shops. The stories are told with 
 great zest by the gossips who frequent these places. If 
 a person has been killed, or died under suspicious 
 circumstances, their ghosts are seen reflected on the 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 2i 
 
 walls or tiles of the house on a moonlight night, and no 
 one will stay in such a house for that night. Sorcerers 
 are called in to "cleanse the house," if the people cannot 
 move elsewhere. But if they are able to move, no family 
 will stay in a " haunted house " ; thus a desirable house 
 is often sold cheaply, because no one will rent it. 
 
 TRAVELLERS MEETING WITH DEMONS ON THE 
 ROAD. 
 
 The Chinese are very loth to travel after dark, not 
 only because the roads are dangerous, but because of the 
 greater danger of meeting with demons who have got 
 loose from the "infernal regions," and are seeking to 
 catch someone to send back as their substitute. 
 
 SKY LAMPS. 
 
 Sky lamps (Frontispiece, Fig. 4) — lamps placed on the 
 top of poles, anything from twenty to sixty feet in 
 height — are seen in cities, towns, villages, and even 
 along the road at certain intervals. They are not 
 intended to give light to benighted pedestrians, but to 
 guide " wandering souls " to their respective homes ; and 
 also to counteract the "baneful influences" of a malignant 
 district. The people of Kia-ting and surrounding districts 
 have a saying that " The Sky lamps make pilgrimages to 
 Mount Omei." The origin of this belief is the floating 
 lights seen from the summit of Mount Omei. These 
 lights, will-o'-the-wisp like, look very much like sky 
 lamps, and a superstitious people very naturally fix on 
 such things to give credit to their beliefs. 
 
 TWITCHING OF THE EYELIDS. 
 
 The twitching of the eyelid is considered very unlucky 
 and betokens calamity, in some form or other, to the 
 
22 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 person who suffers from it. Anyone interested in the 
 subject might easily collect on the streets a dozen small 
 pieces of red paper with a charm written on them to 
 counteract the calamity. The charm varies in different 
 localities, but the following is a fair sample : — 
 " If the twitching eye your lot befall, 
 Write a, charm upon the eastern wall ; 
 As the sun his upward way pm-sues, 
 Will change the evil into bliss for you." 
 
 The " twitching " of the left eye betokens the loss of 
 money; the "twitching" of the right, a fall over a 
 precipice, or the receiving of a beating: a play being 
 made on the word ngai, " a precipice," and a word of the 
 same-sound which means " to receive a beating." 
 
 MARRIAGE OF THE CATERPILLAR MAIDEN. 
 
 After the season known as " Arouse from hibernation," 
 about March the 5th, snakes, caterpillars, and other 
 noxious creatures, become a pest in many places. The 
 Chinese, to counteract this nuisance, have a charm in 
 universal use called "The marriage of the caterpillar 
 maiden " (Photo, facing page 15, Kg. 2), which they paste 
 up in their houses on the Birthday of Buddah, the 8th 
 of the 4th moon. The wording of this charm varies 
 according to the genius of the writer. Some say, tiat 
 the caterpillar is a " Kiangsi man," others that it is a 
 foreigner. 
 
 The following is a good specimen : — 
 " The CateipiUar Maiden's wed 
 Is on Budda's natal day. 
 May they go far among the hills 
 And there forever stay." 
 
 CHILD PASSING THE "NIGHT CRY" PASS. 
 
 One of the thirty-seven passes or periods through 
 which a child may have to pass is called the night 
 cry pass." 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 23 
 
 A charm in common use, and which may be seen on 
 every highway, written on small pieces of red paper, 
 pasted on gateways and pillars, runs as follows : — 
 "Heaven is yellow, earth is green, 
 No rest is given from constant screams, 
 These lines, good sir ! be pleased to read ; 
 Our child, get rest ; our thanks : god speed." 
 
 The person whose child gives him no sleep gets this 
 charm written out, and then with candles, paper, and 
 incense, he goes to the nearest highway to await the 
 arrival of some traveller, whom he beseeches to give the 
 child another name, worship the local deity, and read 
 the charm. This done, the traveller proceeds on his 
 way with the distracted parent's " god speed," and the 
 satisfaction that he has done a " good deed." 
 
 CLOSING OF CITY GATES. 
 
 One of the most silly of the Chinese superstitions 
 which the newcomer observes, is the closing of the city 
 gates by order of the officials, in times of drought or 
 floods. If there is too much heat, the "South" gate, 
 which presides over the " fire element," is closed ; if too 
 much rain, the " North " gate, which presides over the 
 " water element," is closed. Butchers are forbidden by 
 the officials to kill animals; dragons are carried in 
 procession by half naked men, and the inhabitants throw 
 pailfuls of water over the dragon as a hint that they 
 would like a supply of the cooling rain which he is 
 supposed to preside over. 
 
II.— SUPERSTITIONS IN CONNECTION WITH 
 SICKNESS AND DISEASE. 
 
 This part of the paper is divided into two parts, 
 viz. : — 
 
 1st. A description of the methods used to ward off 
 disease and sickness ; and 
 
 2nd. Methods used to get rid of diseases already 
 contracted. 
 
 1st. Superstitious methods used to ward off sickness 
 and disease : — 
 
 THE ANGRY ANCESTOR CHARM. 
 
 All pain and even the smallest misfortunes are 
 attributed to malign forces. It is a common sight 
 among all classes of people to see one of the women of 
 the household engaged in the following mummery with a 
 basin of water and three chopsticks : The handles of the 
 chopsticks are dipped in water and then reversed, the 
 points standing in the water and the handles held 
 between the finger and thumb. Then the person rapidly 
 runs over a list of names of all who have died in con- 
 nection with the family, pausing for a moment at each 
 name to loosen the grip on the chopsticks. Sometimes 
 the chopsticks stand up, and this is supposed to be 
 evidence that the dead person whose name happened to 
 be mentioned at the moment, is angry with the family, 
 and causes some member of it to feel pain somewhere in 
 the body. 
 
 24 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 25 
 
 TAOIST POPE CHARM. 
 
 In a book on sorcery there are specimens of over one 
 hundred different kinds of charms ; every sorcerer seems 
 to have his own; but amongst this variety there are 
 special favourites, such as the "House Guard" charm, 
 a special kind of which is the "Taoist Pope" charm. 
 This charm, of which there are several forms, usually 
 represents the Pope as riding on a tiger's back with a 
 sword in one hand and a fan in the other. All around 
 are figures of caterpillars, snakes, insects, flies, etc. 
 When this charm is used for the 5th moon feast 
 the words: — 
 
 "At noon on the fifth of the fifth, 
 The Pope astride of his Tiger ; 
 His mouth being all red and clear sky overhead. 
 To ' the land of the Shades,' all demons have fled," 
 
 are written on either side of the charm. 
 
 This charm is purchased by every family, and together 
 with mugwort placed on the feast day above mentioned 
 in some conspicuous position in the house or shop. A 
 seal, supposed to be the Taoist's Pope's, is attached to 
 these charms, which gives them an additional value. 
 
 THE HILL GUARD. 
 
 In connection with " feng-shui," or geomancy, localities 
 are distinguished as "good," or "auspicious," "evil," or 
 "malignant." If a house faces one of these "malignant" 
 localities a Hill Guard (Photo, facing page 15, Fig. 3) is 
 put over the door to counteract the unlucky " malignant 
 influences." The Hill Guard is usually a board about a 
 foot-and-a-half long, by a foot wide, with the sun painted 
 in red, rising from behind the hills. This Hill Guard 
 is said to have originated with Chian-t'ai Kong, a 
 
26 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 famous general of the Cheo dynasty, who is now known 
 as the "father of the gods," because he deified so many 
 of those now worshipped by the Chinese. 
 
 THE "ONE GOOD" MIRROR. 
 
 It is a common sight in most cities to see a small 
 mirror hung over a door; or the words "One Good" 
 (Frontispiece, Fig. 5) written on a board. The belief is 
 that the demons, who would enter the house, looking 
 into the mirror, are frightened at their own faces ; or, 
 knowing, as is commonly said: — "One good deed will 
 cancel a thousand evil deeds," they are afraid to enter a 
 house the inmates of which are supposed to be fond of 
 doing good. These mirrors are usually placed where the 
 sharp angles of a house point directly toward a doorway, 
 in the hope that the demons in their flight may strike 
 these angles and be driven into the house opposite ! 
 Sometimes the mirror has the words 'One Good" 
 written across the glass; but the plain mirror has the 
 same effect upon the demons. 
 
 THE EEL TRAP. 
 
 Demons "fly in a straight line," therefore walls are 
 built crookedly to intercept them; they majr also be 
 trapped like eels, so it is a common practice to hang 
 an ordinary eel trap (Frontispiece, Fig. 6) over the door- 
 way of a house supposed to be visited by demons. 
 These traps, made of bamboo, are of various lengths and 
 sizes ; but that used for demon trapping is about a foot- 
 and-a-half long by six inches in diameter. They are 
 conical in shape and so plaited that an eel, or demon, 
 having once entered is unable to come out again. The 
 trap is hung up, by a piece of string, immediately opposite 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 27 
 
 the front door, and the demon in his search for the 
 door accidently enters the mouth of it and finds himself 
 a prisoner ! 
 
 MOUNT T'AI STONE PILLARS. 
 
 These stone pillars (Frontispiece, Fig. 7) are placed on 
 the sides of rivers where the water is liable to burst 
 the banks ; facing dangerous rapids ; at cross roads ; and 
 facing the entrance to public or private dwellings. The 
 stones are usually about 4 ft. high, 1 ft. wide, and about 
 6 in. thick. They are surmounted with the head of a 
 " monster " of varying shape and expression, according to 
 the genius of the workman, or designer. Below the head 
 of the " monster," engraved on the stone, are the words, 
 " This is Kan-tang of T'ai Shan " ! No demon will face 
 such a monster who guards the way to any dwelling or 
 cross road. The origin of the superstition is as follows : 
 On the highest peak of mount T'ai (one of the five sacred 
 mountains of China, in the province of Shan-tong), 
 there is a god who decapitates demons," whose name 
 is Kan- tang." In course of time, the image of this god 
 was carved on wood or engraved in stone and called the 
 " Mount T'ai Stone Pillar " and is now used to destroy 
 or oppose demons. The "Swallowing Monster" is 
 another form used over doorways, etc. 
 
 THE SEVEN KILL TABLET. 
 
 In the yard of the district magistrate of Chentu, there 
 is said to be a stone erected by the famous rebel 
 Chang-Hsien-Chong, or Chang, of Manifest Loyalty, who 
 exterminated the Chinese population of Si-ehuen at the 
 close of the Ming dynasty (1644). The inscription 
 on this stone, which is Chang's plea for extermination. 
 
28 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 runs as follows: "Heaven produced all things for the 
 use of man, man has used all these things without 
 requiting Heaven; kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill." 
 I have made several attempts to see this stone, but the 
 officials and others whom I approached on the subject, 
 all assured me that if anyone set eyes on it, murders 
 would take place in the city or rebellions in the 
 province. Not being desirous to bring such calamities 
 on this already over-burdened people, I have not pressed 
 to see this wonderful stone. The officials have built a 
 wall around it to prevent anyone from looking at it. I 
 was also informed that the stone lies on its face, with 
 the inscription downwards. 
 
 PARTITION WALLS. 
 
 Every Government office, public building, or temple, 
 has a high wall built across the entrance, some distance 
 from the door, for the purpose of preventing evil spirits 
 from entering these places. Many private houses, if 
 they face an open space, or are overlooked by some 
 unlucky building, also have these walls. These walls are 
 often built in a zig-zag manner to prevent demons, who 
 are said to go in a straight line," from getting into the 
 house. The walls in front of a Government building 
 have a "monster," somewhat after the shape of a lion, 
 called a "coveter," painted in gaudy colours to remind 
 the official that he must not covet. The animal is repre- 
 sented as trying to grasp at the sun, whilst trampling 
 the " eight treasures " under his feet, as being beneath 
 his notice. 
 
 THE EIGHT DIAGRAMS. 
 
 " Can the Book of Changes go to your country ? " is a 
 question often asked by scholars and others. The common 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 29 
 
 belief is that foreigners cannot master this mysterious 
 book, and that if they could they would forget its con- 
 tents before crossing the sea. The diagrams which it 
 contains were originally eight in number, and are referred 
 to Fu Hsi (b.c. 2800), but they have now increased to 
 sixty-four, and form the stock-in-trade of the geomancer, 
 fortune-teller, and others of like cult. A small octagonal 
 board (Photo, facing page 15, Fig. 4), with these eight 
 diagrams painted in a circle, with the Great Limit" 
 sjrmbol in the centre, is regarded as efficacious in cases of 
 "malignant influences" causing bad luck to a household. 
 It is usually hung over the entrance to the house. 
 
 THE SWALLOWING MONSTER. 
 
 A favourite method of preventing demons from enter- 
 ing a dwelling house is to paint a " swallowing monster's " 
 hefid on the back of a water ladle, or on a soft block 
 of wood. The monster is the same as the one used for 
 the T'ai Shan Pillar stones. The faces of these monsters 
 are painted in red, green and blue, and they usually have 
 a wooden sword in the mouth to frighten the demons 
 who would enter the house to cause sickness and disease. 
 These monsters may be seen in large numbers in every 
 city, town and village, and not infrequently on single 
 dwellings on the main roads. 
 
 DOOR GODS. 
 
 Door gods are used by all classes of society. Those in 
 general use are made of paper. There are in reality 
 only two door gods, but these are represented in a 
 variety of forms according to the taste or ability of the 
 artist. A distinction, too, is sometimes made of " civil " 
 and "military." These door gods are pasted on the 
 
30 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 door some few days before the New Year. In families 
 who are in mourning the four Words, shevr-tu u hi, the 
 names of the original door gods, take the place of the 
 figures usually pasted. These door gods are often 
 painted in life-size on the doors of public buildings 
 temples, or mansions of the rich. The origin of this 
 superstition is as follows: The founder of the T'ang 
 dynasty (a.d. 618-907) had two famous generals who 
 helped to gain the empire for the new house. The name 
 of the one was Ch'ing Ch^iiin, and the other Hu-Ching- 
 Teh ; after the death of these two generals the Emperor 
 became seriously ill, and these two generals appeared 
 to him and caused him to get better. As a reward the 
 Emperor deified them as door gods for his palace, to 
 prevent evil spirits from entering. In course of time 
 these two became the door gods of the common people, 
 and are now almost universally used by all classes. 
 Occasionally the sentence : " Only seek to keep your 
 conscience void of offence, then what need of having door 
 gods ? " may be seen in the place of door gods, showing 
 that some do not think it necessary to trouble these 
 generals to keep away evil spirits. But these are rare 
 exceptions, the general belief is that they are indispens- 
 able to the peace of the household. 
 
 THE TIGER PILLOW. 
 
 Chinese children have few toys, and those they have 
 are more or less connected with superstition or idolatry. 
 Toward the New Year vendors of stuffed tigers, of 
 various sizes and colours (Frontispiece, Fig. 8), may be 
 seen on the streets. The smaller models are used 
 exclusively as toys, but the larger ones as pillows. 
 If a child is given to talking in its sleep, has dreams, or 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 31 
 
 wakes up with a start, some evil spirit is supposed to be 
 the cause of the disturbance, and a stuffed tiger of the 
 larger size is purchased and the child uses it as a pillow ! 
 The evil spirits are supposed to be afraid of the " king of 
 beasts," as the tiger is regarded by the Chinese. 
 
 ASCENDING THE HEIGHTS. 
 
 On the sixteenth day of the first month great crowds 
 of people — men, women and children — may be seen on the 
 city wall or any elevated spot within a few U of a city. 
 The common belief is that if they ascend the heights on 
 this day, they will have less sickness and disease in the 
 ensuing year. In the capital this custom is known as 
 the " Hundred Disease Stroll." Parties of young fellows, 
 with drums and gongs, march up and down the city wall 
 for the purpose of ridding themselves of the " hundred 
 kinds of disease" that may be encountered during the 
 coming year. 
 
 ADOPTION. 
 
 Dyer Ball, in his " Things Chinese," divides adoption 
 into two classes ; first, what he calls " true " adoption ; 
 a,nd secondly, " spurious." Speaking of the latter, he says ; 
 " The custom has its foundation in the superstition that 
 it is possible to cheat malignant spirits to whose evil 
 machinations are due the death or illness of the children. 
 If the parents are afraid that they will not be able to 
 bring up the child, or that falling short of that, disease 
 may attack it, they hit upon the expedient — sometimes 
 suggested by the fortune-teller — of this demi-adoption. 
 Presents are made by the parents to the so-called 
 adopter, and return presents are received. The adopting 
 parents take a casual interest in his or her adopted 
 child, presents and visits being made by both parties on 
 
32 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 the respective birthday of the primary interested parents 
 and at feast days, etc., etc. The child still remains in 
 its natural parents' house, and in the event of its parents 
 dying, the so-called god-parent is not bound to take the 
 child, even if left destitute. . . . It is supposed that 
 the spirits will be deceived into the belief that the child 
 has really been adopted into the new family, and the 
 disease, death, disaster, or ill-luck that would otherwise 
 ensue, are effectually prevented. . . . There are other 
 kinds of superstitions in connection with adoption, such 
 as giving a child in adoption to a banyan tree, a bridge, 
 an idol or stone lions in front of a temple. In all these 
 cases it is believed that the spirits inhabiting these 
 several objects will take the child under their protection 
 and ensure its immunity from all the ills that flesh is 
 heir to. On a small piece of paper is written the 
 account of adoption, and then follows the word ' male ' 
 or 'female' and the surname of the child. This is 
 pasted on the object selected, and three sticks of incense, 
 joss paper, wine, pork, chicken and cooked rice are 
 offered. . . . The piece of paper once put up is not 
 renewed as the spirit is supposed to be sufficiently 
 informed by one notice. The mother of the child, or 
 sometimes a 'praying mother,' is called, who performs 
 the ceremony, offering up a prayer, informing the spirit 
 that the child is placed under its protection. In the 
 case of a god being selected, part of the name — that is, 
 one of the characters forming his title or designation — is 
 combined with that of the child, forming a new name for 
 the child, which, however, is only used by the parents." 
 
 MOVING HOUSE. 
 
 Moving house in China is no easy matter, not so much 
 from the amount of furniture, goods, etc., to be removed, 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 33 
 
 as the fear of evil spirits causing calamity. A lucky day 
 having been ascertained from the almanac or the fortune- 
 teller, someone must first enter the house saying Let 
 there be good luck " ; after this furniture, etc., may be 
 moved in. Great caution must be taken that nothing is 
 carried out of the house but only brought in. The 
 moving of the kitchen range is a very delicate matter, as 
 the kitchen god is one of the most important of the gods 
 worshipped by the Chinese. Great care is taken that 
 the fire does not go out, as this betokens calamity to the 
 family. Sawdust or branches of cedar are ignited in 
 the stove when about to be moved from the old house to 
 the new. The night before moving, incense and candles 
 must be placed in the central hall ; no person who enters 
 the house must go empty-handed, but carry either cash, 
 rice, incense or cloth. The senior male member of the 
 family carrying a vessel containing a little of each of 
 the five grains first enters the house, then the " mother " 
 of the household, holding a mirror in front of her, 
 followed by the "father," with the family gods in his 
 hands. The ancestral tablet, with the accompanying bell, 
 incense jar, etc., all follow in their proper order. Having 
 reached the central hall the "Head of the House" 
 receives the incense jar and places it on the family altar. 
 After doing this he bows profoundly, saying : " Let there 
 be extraordinary good luck," and recites a few verses 
 blessing the gods as follows : 
 
 " Peace at home and goodly treasure, 
 Festive joys increase our pleasure. 
 Ten thousandfold from fertile field, 
 Happiness, long life, their blessing yield. 
 Descendants in abundance rise, 
 Men of talent carry off the prize, 
 AH things prosper to our liking. 
 Good luck, great good, our lathway striking." 
 
34 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 This ceremony is called "Fixing up the Gods," which 
 is usually followed by " Thanking the Earth," and the 
 pasting up of the " House Guard " eharm. After this, 
 things may go on in their ordinary way, and the family 
 feel quite at rest as to the future. 
 
 2nd. Superstitious methods used to get rid of disease 
 and sickness : — 
 
 THE THIRTEEN GREAT GUARDIANS. 
 
 If a woman becomes very sick, and no medicine has 
 any effect, recourse is had to the "Thirteen Great 
 Guardian " plan for the recovery. This plan is to select 
 thirteen devout widows who present a petition to the 
 gods on behalf of the sick person, and undertake to be 
 her " guardians " for the future. The petition states the 
 province, city, parish, ward, and street, where the person 
 dwells, also her name and nature of the sickness; it 
 then goes on to say that doubtless the cause of the 
 sickness is her failure to " do good," and the evil of her 
 ways, but promises that if she recovers she will "turn 
 over a new leaf " in the future. This petition is burned 
 before the family gods or in a temple with incense and 
 candles, and the "guardian widows" return to their 
 respective homes. 
 
 BINDING THE MIGRATING SOUL. 
 
 Old men, with a circular bell in one hand, and a staff, 
 with stripes of red cloth, incense, and an idol bound to 
 it (Photo, facing page 15, Fig. 5), in the other, parade the 
 streets in most large cities. They are called "Soul 
 Binders " or "Llama Soul Binders," from the belief that 
 Llamas are specially clever at this work. If a person, 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 35 
 
 specially, a child, becomes sick, these men are called in 
 to charm back the soul. A " charmed " egg is wrapped 
 in oil paper, and then cooked by lighting the paper 
 wrapped round it. The sick person usually eats this egg. 
 After going through a certain formula the Soul Binder 
 declares that the soul has returned, and then proceeds to 
 tie red cord round the neck, wrists, and ankles of the 
 sick person to prevent the soul from migrating a second 
 time. A similar form, called "Burning the Egg," is 
 practised by old women. The egg is first " charmed " by 
 the Egg Burner, then wrapped in oil paper or placed 
 in hot ashes to be cooked. In this case the egg is burned 
 till the shell cracks, and the yolk is scattered among the 
 ashes, or on the ground, The Egg Burner then looks at 
 the color and shape of the yolk and "divines" from 
 these whether the soul has " migrated " into the body of 
 another human being or some animal. In some cases 
 the position of the egg-shell only k observed. If it 
 bursts towards the east the Egg Burner turns to that 
 quarter and calls : " Three souls, seven spirits, come back 
 quickly." If it bursts towards the west or south, she 
 turns in that direction, and uses the same call. In this 
 case no binding process is gone through, but simply the 
 calling back of the soul performed. 
 In the case of measles or small-pox, hemp is used. 
 
 CALLING THE SPIRIT'S NAME. 
 
 If a person becomes sick, and some evil spirit is 
 supposed to be the cause, but the particular evil spirit 
 is not known, a plan called the " Erecting of a Cash " is 
 adopted to find out who among the many evil spirits 
 is responsible. Some one of the household selects a 
 large brass coin, which he endeavours to make stand 
 
36 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 upright on a smooth stone, at the same time calling over 
 the names of a number of evil spirits ; when the name 
 of the evil spirit who has caused the sickness is men- 
 tioned the cash will stand upright. The particular spirit 
 being ascertained, candles, incense and paper are offered, 
 and boiled rice is scattered in all directions to feed the 
 offended spirit who is supposed to be hovering round. 
 
 EGG AND SEED CHARM. 
 
 The death of a young boy is a cause of great sorrow 
 to the parents. When the evil spirit is released, it is 
 supposed to enter the body of the next child that is born. 
 In order to prevent its return, the parents will often 
 mutilate the little dead body, and bury it at the cross- 
 roads near by. I saw in the home of a missionary a 
 young girl, whose father had mutilated two children in 
 this way. Another plan to prevent the second coming 
 of the evil spirit is to tie an egg and some mustard seed 
 to the body of the dead child, in the belief that the evil 
 spirit will not appear until the egg hatches and the seed 
 sprouts. The astute and anxious parents carefully boil 
 the egg and the seed in order to postpone the date 
 indefinitely. 
 
 AGUE CHARM. 
 
 Ague is very common amongst the Chinese, and is 
 supposed to be caused by evil spirits taking possession of 
 the body of the person affected. A common cure is to 
 cut from a proclamation the impression of the Governor- 
 General's seal, place it in a piece of paper with a few 
 copper coins belonging to the reign of Chien Long, 
 (a.d. 1736-1796), called "Golden Dog Cash," or "Birth- 
 day Cash." A few grains of red pepper, and a small 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 37 
 
 quantity of white rice are added, and then the paper is 
 carefully folded and placed in the pocket of the one 
 afflicted. When he goes for a walk on the street this 
 pocket is slyly dropped on the road, and the person who 
 picks it up becomes affected with the disease, and the 
 other is relieved ! 
 
 A few cash only, forms a sure halt if dropped on the 
 street in the same way. 
 
 SORCERERS EXORCISING DEMONS. 
 
 " Si-chuen is an evil spirit region, 
 Where truth lies dead, and falsehood rules the reason." 
 
 — Proverb. 
 
 Si-chuen being an "evil spirit region," the Sorcerer's 
 trade is a very lucrative one, and their shops are in 
 almost every other street in large cities. If any one is 
 very sick, and medicines have no effect, a sorcerer is 
 called in to exorcise the demons who are causing the 
 trouble. They usually commence at dusk, and continue 
 till midnight or early morning. Their cries and horn 
 blowing are most hideous ; no one in the neighbourhood 
 being able to sleep as long as the noise continues. Part 
 of the ceremony is to locate and capture by means of 
 rings (Frontispiece, Fig. 9), the demons, and seal them in 
 small jars (Frontispiece, Fig. 10). These jars are taken 
 home by the sorcerer and placed in rows before the 
 gods of his cult, where the public can see them from the 
 street ! 
 
 AVOID MEN I 
 
 If a person is sick and no medicine seems to touch the 
 disease, a sorcerer is called in who declares that the 
 cause of sickness is because the person has not avoided 
 certain unlucky days. A common saying is that " men 
 
38 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 fear the third, sixth, and ninth days ; and that women 
 fear the first, fourth, and seventh." 
 
 On the day declared by the sorcerer to be unlucky, 
 the two words " Avoid Men " are written on a large red 
 envelope and stuck up in front of the door to warn 
 people from entering. It is said that those who are 
 deeply in debt frequently put up this notice when they 
 fear the creditor will be making a call ! 
 
 CALLING BACK THE SOUL. 
 
 The belief is very common amongst the Chinese, that 
 the soul of a person may leave the body and "get lost." 
 Almost any day, in a large city, women may be heard 
 " calling back the soul " of some child which is sick. A 
 common plan is to light three pieces of incense, take an 
 egg in the hand, stand with one foot on the door-sill and 
 cry: "Three souls, seven spirits, come back, quickly." 
 This is repeated, with additional phrases such as : "If 
 you have fallen in the water ; " "If you have received a 
 fright;" "If you have fallen into a ditch, three souls, 
 seven spirits, come back, quickly." A more effective 
 plan is to eat a " charmed " egg, carry a cock to the City 
 God Temple and enquire at each of the "ten depart- 
 ments " of Hades if the soul is there, with the request 
 that it may be allowed to return home. Another 
 curious superstition prevails in Chentu as follows : If a 
 mother and her babe are invited to a friend's house, the 
 common belief is that if the child sleeps during their 
 stay in the friend's house, one of the souls (the Chinese 
 believe they possess three souls) of the babe may go out 
 of the body and remain in the friend's house, and, of 
 course, the child would sicken and die as a result. To 
 prevent this calamity, three pieces of incense are lighted 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 39 
 
 and stuck in the roof of the sedan chair when the 
 mother returns to her home. The belief is that the soul 
 will follow the perfume of the incense back to the home 
 of the babe. 
 
 THE HUNDRED NAME LOCK. 
 
 Children often wear a ring of brass or silver with a clasp 
 or lock attached (Photo, facing page 15, Figs. 6 and 6a), 
 which at first sight might be taken for an ornament, 
 but the real reason for wearing which is because of a 
 superstition attached. If the child is subject to turns 
 of sickness the parents take it to a sorcerer, who divines, 
 by means of a dozen, or more, old swords or knives, what 
 particular "Pass" the child has transgressed. If it is 
 the " Gold Lock Pass," the sorcerer comes to the home 
 and drives out the " Malignant Influences." The parents 
 then ask one hundred persons to subscribe towards a 
 lock, which is put on the child's neck till he or she is 
 twelve years old, when a ceremony called ' Crossing the 
 Flower Pass " is performed, and the lock removed. 
 
 THE GENERAL'S ARROW. 
 
 The traveller in Si-chuen must have noticed, at 
 cross roads and other points, a number of stone slabs 
 about the height of an English mile stone. If he 
 should enquire the object of these stones, he will be 
 told that they are "Finger Posts " ; but if he presses the 
 question, and asks why so many are required at one point, 
 he will discover that many of these finger posts serve a 
 double purpose. The first is to direct passengers the 
 way they should go, but a second is to guard against 
 the "General's Arrow." These stones have, in addition 
 to the words "Finger Post," the words "General's 
 Arrow," with a bow and arrow near the first characters 
 
40 
 
 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 (Photo, facing page 15, Figs. 7, 7a and 7b). Sorcerers, 
 and others, have concocted seventy-two "Baneful 
 Influences" which may assail a child, and thirty- 
 seven "Passes" through which they are liable to 
 pass. If a child becomes sick, the mother at once 
 supposes that the child has met one of the "Baneful 
 Influences" called Sha, or "trespassed" on one of the 
 
 Passes." If the fortune-teller confirms her fears, he 
 will also tell her a remedy. A book, which has no 
 name, being prohibited by law, but which we may 
 call the Sorcerer's Guide, devotes twelve and a half 
 pages to this subject. It does not give the names of 
 the seventy-two "Baneful Influences," but carefully 
 records the thirty-seven "Passes" as follows: — 
 
 1. The Five Demon Pass 19. The Night Cry 
 
 20. The Water Fire 
 
 21. The Cock Flying 
 
 22. The Fall in Well 
 
 23. The Sun Stroke 
 
 24. The Seven Bowel 
 
 25. The Thunder God 
 
 26. The Lose Life 
 
 27. The Priest 
 
 28. The White Tiger 
 
 29. The Iron Snake 
 
 30. The Heaven Sweep 
 
 31. The Earth Sweep 
 
 32. The Shooting Qoud 
 
 33. The Eed Color 
 
 34. The FivePunishments, 
 
 35. The Six Injuries 
 
 36. The Heavenly Net 
 37. The Earthly Snare Pass 
 
 2. 
 
 The Heavenly Dog 
 
 n 
 
 3. 
 
 The Bury Son 
 
 » 
 
 4. 
 
 The Scalding Fire 
 
 )i 
 
 5. 
 
 The Demon Door 
 
 }) 
 
 6. 
 
 The Heaven Hanging „ 
 
 7. 
 
 The Crush Life 
 
 
 8. 
 
 The Four Pillar 
 
 
 9. 
 
 The Four Seasons 
 
 
 10. 
 
 The General's Arrow 
 
 r 
 
 11. 
 
 The God of Hades 
 
 
 12. 
 
 The Hundred Day 
 
 
 13. 
 
 The Broken Bridge 
 
 
 14. 
 
 The Golden Lock 
 
 
 15. 
 
 The Cut Life Short 
 
 
 16. 
 
 The Deep Water 
 
 
 17. 
 
 The Bath Tub 
 
 
 18. 
 
 The No Affection 
 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 41 
 
 I have already described the ceremony performed 
 when a child " transgresses " on the " Night Cry Pass," 
 so will only briefly describe what takes place when a 
 child has transgressed on the "General's Arrow Pass." 
 The child is taken by its parents to some point where 
 there is a shrine to the local deity, or at the head of a 
 bridge. Wine and vegetables, with incense, candles and 
 paper, are burned at this shrine, and the case clearly 
 reported to the deity, whose aid is solicited. A branch 
 of the peach tree is converted into a bow, and a 
 sprig of willow into afl arrow. The parents then wait for 
 the first traveller to come along, who on coming near is 
 bowed to very profusely by the parents with the child in 
 the arms ; and protection for the child earnestly besought. 
 After this the traveller takes the bo-^ .end • arrow and 
 shoots towards the west, and then hangs the bow on the 
 nearest tree. A finger post, either wood or stone, 
 according to the standing of the family, is stuck in the 
 ground by the traveller, who now proceeds on his way 
 after receiving the profound thanks of the child's parents. 
 The words on the stone are : — 
 
 " The string will snap with the bend of the how ; 
 The arrow will stop at the force of the blow." 
 
 For a girl the "Great Limit" circle is sometimes 
 used with the general's arrow below, but in this case the 
 arrow points towards the east, whereas that of the boy 
 points towards the west. A common saying is that 
 "A boy fears the General's arrow, 
 The girl the King of Hades pass." 
 
 A girl being considered of less importance than a 
 boy, no stone, as a rule, is erected for her ; but a silver 
 neck charm, with the words " General's arrow " engraved 
 upon it, is constantly worn on the person. 
 
III.— SUPERSTITIONS IN CONNECTION WITH 
 MARRIAGE, BIRTH, DEATH AND BURIAL. 
 
 Superstition is so mixed up with all ceremonies in 
 connection with marriage, hirth, death and burial, that 
 it is almost impossible to give an account of these without 
 describing the whole of these ceremonies. 
 
 I must, however, confine myself to one or two 
 instances in each class, and leave the rest for separate 
 treatment. 
 
 MARRIAGE. 
 
 The morning when the bride leaves her home, a bushel 
 measure covered with red paper is placed outside the 
 door of her parents' house, and as she is being forced out 
 of her home, for she must not go willingly, she steps 
 into the bushel measure and breaks a hole in the paper ; 
 at the same time someone throws a pair of chopsticks 
 over her shoulder into the door of the house she has left. 
 The meaning of this is not quite clear, but is supposed 
 to be a desire on her part that her parents may have 
 plenty of rice and chopsticks to eat it with after she 
 has gone. When she has been safely placed in her 
 chair, the men bear her away, and one of her relatives 
 carry after the chair a bamboo arrangement called a 
 Telescope (Frontispiece, Fig. 11). This consists of a 
 bamboo plate, about the size of an ordinary dinner 
 
 42 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 43 
 
 plate, covered with red paper. In the centre of this 
 plate is a small brass mirror, and three arrows covered 
 with red paper are stuck in behind the plate. This 
 mirror is supposed to frighten away any evil spirits 
 who would follow the chair to the new home. When 
 the chair arrives at the bridegroom's "house, a table 
 is placed in front of the door with a pint measure, 
 candles, incense and paper. A cock is then killed, and 
 the blood sprinkled around the chair while the " master 
 of ceremonies " recites the following words : — 
 
 "A table grand with four square comers, 
 From Chang-lang'a wood and Lu-pan's orders. 
 
 The four sides garnished by carver's hand, 
 The centre adorned with an incense stand. 
 
 Ingots of paper like silver all shine, 
 To oifer up to the escort divine. 
 
 The chair of the Bride must return alone, 
 The Bridegroom himself escorts her safe home.'' 
 
 After this the table is removed, the chair is carried into 
 the house, and the telescope which has done its work is 
 carried back to the bride's home or thrown aside as of 
 no further use. 
 
 After the marriage a boy carrying a pair of candles, 
 leads the way to the nuptial chamber and performs the 
 ceremony of "sprinkling the bed." This consists of 
 scattering rice, fruit, cakes, etc., on the bed. The boy 
 then recites the following lines : — 
 
 "With abundance of gladness, abundance of smiles, our 
 hands full of fruit which banish their trials." 
 
 Also the following: — 
 
 "One wave to the east: may sons, grandsons increase, and 
 in courts of Emperors stand. 
 
44 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 "One wave to the south : may sons, grandsons abovmd, their 
 names among ' wranglers ' be found. 
 
 "One wave to the west: may sons, grandsons be blest and 
 stand before kings in brilliant dress. 
 
 ' ' One wave to the north : may sons, grandsons of worth, as 
 ministers of State from the palace come forth." 
 
 After this follows the usual feasting and congratulation. 
 
 BIRTH. 
 
 The birth of a child, especially of a boy, is a great event 
 in any household, and considerable anxiety is felt lest 
 demons should be lurking about the house and cause 
 trouble. Just before the birth a sorcerer is called in to 
 exorcise all evil influences from the house and insure 
 peace. This is called the " Exorcism of great peace." 
 At this time a midwife is called in. Should the birth 
 be attended with difficulty, recourse is had to crackers, 
 firing of guns; or whatever device can be thought of to 
 scare away the evil spirits. Considerable solicitude is 
 often felt that the first visitor to the house after the 
 birth of the child should be a " lucky " person, as the 
 child's whole future career may be blighted by meeting 
 with an " ill-starred person." No outsider will enter the 
 room where the birth took place for forty days. On the 
 first anniversary of a boy's birth the relatives and friends 
 bring presents of baby clothes, h9,ts, ornaments, play- 
 things, and red eggs. The baby is placed on the floor, 
 and around him are placed various articles such as a 
 book, pencil, chopsticks, money, etc. The first thing he 
 grabs at shows which profession he will follow in his 
 future career. 
 
 DEATH. 
 
 When a person is at the point of death, a hole is made 
 through the roof, and a bamboo pole placed through the 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 45 
 
 hole, to allow the Sha, or "baneful influences," to escape. 
 A tile or earthenware pot is dashed to pieces on the 
 ground outside that the noise may eifect the same 
 purpose. The person, after being washed, is dressed in an 
 odd number of garments: an even number is unlucky and 
 might entail the death of another member of the family. 
 Fur garments are not used lest the wearer should be 
 transformed into an animal in the next life. A short 
 inner shirt is not worn lest the next life should thereby 
 be shortened. Brass buttons or metal of any kind are 
 tabooed, even the button on the cap of a mandarin is 
 made of gilded wood. The fear is lest the weight of 
 the metal should hinder the soul in its upward flight, 
 nay, might even drag it down to the abyss ! 
 
 A willow wand is placed in the right hand, and a small 
 loaf in the left. These are to keep off the "Spirit 
 Dogs"; if the bread proves ineffectual, the stick may 
 serve the purpose. The Feb, or "animal spirits," of 
 which tiiere are seven, having descended to a depth 
 of 10 ft. or 12 ft., return to the surface at the rate of 
 about a foot per day, and always arrive between the 
 7th or 14th day after the death takes place. The priests 
 foretell the day, and, as one or other of these spirits always 
 returns two hours before the hour at which the person dies, 
 the family know when to prepare for the visit. Food is 
 placed both in the bedroom and in the hall; ajar, con- 
 taining a few boiled eggs, with a few pairs of chopsticks 
 stuck in besides them, is placed on the table. Fine ashes 
 are sifted over the floors, and a " spirit ladder " (Photo, 
 facing page 15, Fig. 8), consisting of a pole with cash paper 
 stuck on it at frequent intervals, one sheet for each day, 
 is propped against the eaves of the house ; the doors are 
 then shut, and the house deserted. As a number of 
 
46 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 voraeioua yamen runners from the " spirit world " have 
 come with the P'eh it is necessary to prepare food for 
 them, and the eggs in the jar are supposed to keep them 
 employed trying to get them out with the chopsticks. 
 During this time the " soul," which has come up to the 
 surface, worships the " spirit tablet," its ancestors, and 
 family gods ; it also visits the kitchen, and worships the 
 kitchen god. When the family return to the house 
 they examine the fine ashes on the floor, and discover 
 the majfks of ropes, chains and the footprints of the 
 " chicken-footed " yamen runners from the spirit world. 
 The sooty side of the kitchen pot also shows marks of 
 mysterious characters where the "soul" has made an 
 attempt to make known to its relatives the nature and 
 extent of its punishment. 
 
 PASSPORT FOR HADES. 
 
 The belief that the unseen world is very similar to the 
 present one, is common amongst the Chinese ; and a good 
 deal of their worship of ancestors is based upon this 
 belief. Paper imitations of houses, furniture, food, 
 servants, money, and every other thing needed in the 
 unseen world are burned for the use of the spirits of 
 the departed. If a person travels abroad in this world 
 he needs a passport ; so if he passes through Hades he 
 also needs a passport. There are very many different 
 kinds of these, but those considered of most value are 
 issued from Feng Tu in the Prefecture of Kwei Fu. 
 (The entrance to Hades is commonly believed to be at 
 Feng Tu.) 
 
 THE OREAD DAY. 
 
 On certain days the front doors of all Yamens are 
 closed, and a table with a wooden tablet with the words, 
 
CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 47 
 
 "Dread Day" (Photo, facing page 15, Fig. 9), is placed in 
 front to prevent anyone entering. These days are 
 "dreaded," because they are the anniversaries of the 
 death of an Emperor or Empress of the reigning family. 
 No official may pass through the front door of the Yamen 
 on these days, but public business is conducted within as 
 usual. 
 
 AVOID THE DEAD. 
 
 If a person, who was bom in the Ing-shen or Si-hai 
 years of the cycle, should die in the 1st, 4th, or 10th 
 months, or a person who was born in the Tsi-ui, Mao-ui, 
 Shen-hsii or Ch'eo-wei years, should die on any day in 
 the 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 11th or 12th months, then 
 strangers, who are mourners, must not approach the 
 coffin for fear of contracting some disease. 
 
 FLOATING OF RIVER LAMPS. 
 
 This is one of the many "burial" superstitions which 
 prevail in China. 
 
 A large lamp is made in the shape of a boat ; and a 
 few hundred sheets of red paper, folded to represent 
 small eyes, are made in the shape of lotus flowers. The 
 bottom of this paper boat is dipped in hot pitch to make it 
 water-tight and then sand rubbed in to give it ballast, a 
 little oil and wick are also placed inside and the lamp is 
 ready. A live duck is first thrown into the river, and anyone 
 who captures it is entitled to keep it. Then the large lamp 
 is floated off and a scramble is made to pull it out of 
 the water again, and the one who secures it bears it off, 
 accompanied by a band of musicians, to the wife of a 
 rich man who has no family. The boat is supposed to 
 bring luck and the blessing of a son. The bearers are 
 rewarded with presents and food. After the large boat 
 
48 CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS 
 
 has been landed all the small lamps are lit and floated 
 off, where they act as life boats to the souls of those 
 who have been drowned in the river. 
 
 BRINGING HOME THE DECEASED. 
 
 Another "burial" superstition is as follows: — 
 A chair is placed in the front hall ; on it are arranged 
 the clothes, the hat and the spirit tablet of the deceased ; 
 his shoes and socks are placed on the floor in front of 
 the chair, and an umbrella is opened and propped over 
 the back of the chair. Between the chair and the door 
 a representation of the Golden Bridge is made with stools. 
 The priests then lead the soul over the bridge, paying 
 toll in incense and candles to the tablets of the Bridge 
 Guardians. The soul is then supposed to occupy its 
 garments, and worship is paid to it there. 
 
 In Conclusion. 
 
 The foregoing is only a selection from among the many 
 superstitions of this superstitious people, but it will give 
 some idea of the bondage to which they are subjected, 
 and I trust will stimulate my readers to use their best 
 endeavours to send the Gospel of Christ to this people, 
 and so break the bonds which bind them, and thus lead 
 them into Liberty. 
 
 Wilkinson BROSi, ltd.. Printers, 1-9, Green Lanes, L.ondoo, N. 
 
CHINA INLAND MISSION. 
 
 (FOUNDED 1865). 
 Founder: Thb Late J. HUDSON TAYLOR. M.R.C.S. 
 General Director : D. E. HOSTK. 
 
 OBJECT. 
 
 The China Inland Mission was formed under a deep sense of 
 China's pressing need, and with m earnest desire, constrained by 
 the love of Christ and the hope of His coming, to obey the command 
 to preach the Gospel to every creature. 
 
 CHARACTER. 
 
 The Mission is Evangelical, and embraces members of all the 
 leading denominations of Christians. 
 
 METHODS. 
 
 Duly qualified candidates are accepted without restriction as to 
 denomination, provided they are sound in all the fundamental 
 truths of the faith. 
 
 All missionaries go forth in dependence upon God for supplies, 
 without any guarantee of income from the Mission. 
 
 The Mission is entirely supported by the free-will offerings of 
 God's people, no personal solicitation or collections being authorised. 
 No more is expended than is thus received, going into debt being 
 considered inconsistent with the principle of entire dependence 
 upon God. 
 
 PROGRESS. 
 
 On January i, 1905, there were in connection with the Mission, 
 825 missionaries and associates (including wives), 21 ordained 
 Chinese pastors, 321 assistant Chinese preachers, 148 Chinese 
 school teachers, 215 Colporteurs, 115 Bible women, and 332 other 
 unpaid Chinese helpers, 12,002 communicants, 18,625 having 
 been baptized from the commencement. There are 200 stations, 
 521 out-stations, 703 chapels, 418 organised churches, 150 schools, 
 40 dispensaries, 82 opium refuges, and 7 hospitals. 
 
 " China's Millions," the organ of the Mission, published 
 monthly. Illustrated. Id.; or Is. 6d. per annum, post free. 
 
 All dOKUiont and other correspondence should be oMreBned to the 
 
 SECRETARY, CHINA INLAND MISSION, 
 Newington Green, LONDON, N. 
 

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