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 ANCESTRAL WORSHIP. 
 
 
 A REVISED EDITION 
 
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 ItF.AIt BKFOUK THK MISSIONAHV CON- 
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 MAY tOTH-ilTII. In;;. 
 
 1 
 

ANCESTRAL WORSHIP 
 
 A REVISED EDITION 
 
 OF AN ESSAY 
 
 READ BEFORE THE MISSIONARY CON- 
 FERENCE, HELD AT SHANGHAI, 
 MAY, 10TH-2ITH. 1877. 
 
 BY 
 
 Rev. M. T. YATES, D.D. 
 
 \ 
 
 SHAN-GH. All 
 
 AMEBICAK PBESBYTEBIAK MISSION 7PK.E1SS 
 
 MDCCCLXXVIII. 
 
ANCESTRAL WORSHIP. 
 
 NCESTRAL Worship, or the worship of the 
 dead, — although the first act of worship record- 
 ed in the ancient classics was of this character — 
 has not hitherto been classed among the Chinese 
 
 systems .of religion ; but has been regarded merely as 
 a commendable reverence for parents — or filial piety. 
 
 Those who form their opinion on the subject upon 
 what they have found recorded in the Chinese Classics, 
 would naturally arrive at this conclusion ; but the 
 classics which constitute our only guide as to what 
 ancestral worship was, in ages gone by, do not chroni- 
 cle the changes, innovations and additions, which have 
 been made in the system during the last two thousand 
 years. Therefore they cannot be regarded as the true 
 exponent of the system in our day. Filial piety, as 
 inculcated by the Confucian philosophy, we are told, 
 consisted in reverence for, and devotion to, parents 
 and to superiors in age and position ; but, it cannot be 
 denied that as practiced in our day, it consists mainly, 
 in devotion to the dead, expressed by offerings and 
 prostrations before the ancestral tablets, the grave, and 
 
 / 
 
4 
 
 the Tsung Hwong, or Magisterial deity, within whose 
 jurisdiction the spirits of the departed are supposed to 
 be incarcerated. 
 
 The term filial is misleading, and w'e should guard 
 against being deceived by it. Of all the people of 
 whom we have any knowledge, .the sons of the Chinese 
 are most unfilial, disobedient to parents, and pertinaci- 
 ous in having their own way from the time they are 
 able to make known their wants. The filial duties of 
 a Chinese son, are performed after the death of ' his 
 parents. A son is said to be filial if he is faithful in 
 doing all that custom requires for his deceased an- 
 cestors. 
 
 If then, we take the dogmas and practices of the 
 people of the present time, to be the true exponent of 
 the religious systems with which we in this day have 
 to contend, all who give the subject careful attention, 
 will be forced to the conclusion that Ancestral Wor- 
 ship, and not filial piety so called, is the principal 
 1 eligion of the Chinese ; it being the only system that 
 unites all classes, and calls forth any thing like deep 
 feeling. Practically, all the other systems are merely 
 its adjuncts ; for it was inculcated by Confucius and 
 his commentators ; and the Taoist and Buddhist priests, 
 while they have their separate and distinct systems 
 devote most of their time and attention, ostensibly, to 
 the more profitable business of propitiating the spirits 
 of the departed, in order to preserve harmony and 
 good will between the living and the dead. These 
 sacerdotal functions consist in convincing their adher- 
 ents, that sickness, and all other calamities, are punish- 
 ments inflicted for their inattention to the comfort of 
 
5 
 
 
 the dead ; and, in performing the necessary services to • 
 ameliorate the condition of the dead, and to restore 
 tranquility to the living. 
 
 It is true that the teaching of the Chinese Sages, 
 has done much to perpetuate the unity of this popul- 
 ous Empire ; but it has also been made the means of 
 perpetuating, if not of inaugurating a system that has, 
 during successive dynasties, fastened upon the millions 
 of its inhabitants a most degrading slavery — the sla- 
 very of the living to the dead. But, it may be asked, 
 is the reverence of the Chinese for their dead, worship? 
 A close analysis of all their worship of idols shows that 
 it consists in prostrations and offerings, for the purpose 
 of propitiating certain imaginary deities of whom they 
 stand in dread ; (with each one of which is supposed 
 to reside the spirit of some departed worthy — or hero), 
 with the main, if not the sole object, of averting cala- 
 mity, and securing temporal good. And this is pre- 
 cisely what they do when they worship the dead. If 
 the one is worship, so is the other ; in fact, most of the 
 worship which we witness in temples, and in private 
 houses, and all the processions which we see on the 
 streets, are either directly or indirectly connected with 
 the worship of the dead. As a system, Ancestral 
 Worship is tenfold more potent for keeping the people 
 in darkness, than all the idols in the land, not con- 
 nected with it. Its essence is Feng Shui — that in- 
 tangible, but all powerful weapon which is wielded by 
 high and low, against changes in established customs 
 and practices, and which is the great bar to progress 
 and civilization. 
 
 By its deadening influence the nation has been 
 
6 
 
 kept, for ages, looking backward and downward, in- 
 stead of forward and upward. The insincerity and 
 evasions of the educated, through fear of being ridicul- 
 ed by us — have added so much to the difficulty of 
 investigating this mysterious subject, that there are 
 some, who are ready to regard Ancestral Worship as 
 commemorative only, and maintain that the gross 
 superstition connected with it, is restricted to the com- 
 mon, ignorant people. But enough is known to prove 
 that the fear and worship of the dead extend to all 
 classes of society ; and exercise a controling influence 
 in every department of life. Social customs, judicial 
 decisions, appointments to the office of Prime minister, 
 and even the succession to the throne, are influenced 
 by it. 
 
 For instance, if a magistrate finds a man to be 
 guilty of a serious crime, for which according to the 
 law, he should receive a severe punishment ; before 
 passing sentence upon him, he usual asks him if his 
 father and mother are living ; or, if dead how long 
 since ; also how many brothers he has. If it is found 
 that one or both of his parents have died recently, and 
 that he is the oldest, or an only son, his punishment 
 will be much lighter than it would it be, if his parents 
 were living and he were the third or fourth son. For, 
 Magistrates shrink from the responsibilty of placing 
 a man whose duty it is to sacrifice to the dead, in a 
 position where he would be forced to neglect these 
 sacred offices. 
 
 Again ; Taotais, who are ambitious of the highest 
 promotions do not care to be made Provincial judges ; 
 because, no one who has filled that office, can ever be 
 
Prime minister ; it being considered unsafe to entrust, 
 the reins of Government to one whose duty has com- 
 pelled him to pass sentence of death upon great cri- 
 minals, whose spirits may avenge themselves by bring- 
 ing disquiet and calamity upon his administration. 
 
 Again ; in regard to the succession to the throne ; 
 the exigencies of the Empire may be of the most seri- 
 ous and weighty character, demanding the guidance of 
 a strong arm and a wise head ; and, although there 
 may be such men among the Princes of the royal 
 family; yet, at the death of an Emperor, even if it oc- 
 cur when he is very young, his successor must be his 
 junior; because he must worship his predecessor; and 
 and this sort of homage is never rendered by the elder 
 to the younger. 
 
 This rule cannot be set aside, even though the 
 welfare of 400,000,000 is jeoparded. This was strik- 
 ingly illustrated in the recent accession of Kwang Sib. 
 
 The late Emperor, Tung Chi died young, without 
 issue ; and the choice of a proper person to occupy the 
 vacant throne would naturally seem to fall upon the 
 Prince of Rung, an able and experienced statesman, 
 and the head of the Tsung li Yamen, or' upon some 
 one of the other numerous adult Princes. But whilst 
 this arrangement might have promoted the interests of 
 the living, it would not have met the requirements of 
 the dead. For the successor must be younger than 
 the late Tung Chi. It so happened that the only 
 member of the royal family who met the demand was 
 a boy of three or four years. 
 
 He was therefore agreed upon, and solemnly 
 crowned Emperor, under the title of Kwang Sii; and 
 
8 
 
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 *, 's'\ 
 
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 the vast interests of the Empire once more committed 
 to the regency of the Empress Dowagers. And so 
 thoroughly was the necessity of this order of things 
 believed in, that Princes, officers and people, submitted 
 to the inconvenience it entailed, in order that the 
 tranquillity of the soul of the late Emperor, Tung Chi, 
 might be provided for, as emperor, by securing the 
 homage of his successor. But there remained two 
 links in the family chain to be supplied. Tung Chi, 
 the son and heir of Hien Fung, died without issue; thus 
 leaving his father and himself without an heir on the 
 earth, to provide for their necessities in the Spirit 
 world. To avert the calamities that might result from 
 this condition of things, Kwang Sii, at his coronation, 
 was constituted the heir of Hien Fung and his 
 ( Kwang Sus) first son was ordained to be the heir of 
 Tung Chi. All this was done in the interest of 
 the dead, and consequently in the interest of public 
 tranquillity. These facts, and others that could be 
 mentioned, are sufficient to prove that the fear and 
 worship of the dead, extend to all classes, even to the 
 royal family. Should this young Emperor be cut off 
 before he has fulfilled the weighty responsibilities rest- 
 ing upon him, and there should be no prince younger 
 than himself to succeed him, doubtless the government 
 would assume the responsibility of appointing heirs, 
 and of conferring upon them the necessary rank to 
 enable them to meet the demands of those who had 
 been left destitute, and thus avert serious calamity. 
 
 To define Ancestral Worship, we would say it 
 includes not only the direct worship of the dead, but 
 also, whatever is done directly or indirectly, for their 
 
9 
 
 comfort ; also, all that is done to avert the calamities 
 which the spirits of the departed are supposed to be 
 able to inflict upon the living, as a punishment for in- 
 attention to their necessities. 
 
 BUT LET US EXAMINE THE DOGMAS AND PRACTICES OF 
 THE CHINESE ON THIS SUBJECT ; AND, 
 
 I. 
 
 What do they believe in regard to the dead and 
 the future world ? 
 
 I. — They believe in the existence of two states of 
 being, — the world of light — this world ; and the world 
 of darkness, in which the spirit lives under govern- 
 ment for a season after death. 
 
 II. — They believe that those who have passed into 
 the spirit world stand in need of, and are capable of 
 enjoying, the same things — houses, food, raiment, 
 money, &c., that they enjoyed in the world of light ; 
 and that they are entirely dependent upon their living 
 relatives for these comforts. 
 
 III. — They believe that as the dead have become 
 invisible, everything intended for their use, except 
 food, must also be made invisible, by burning. 
 
 IV. — They believe that those who are in the spirit 
 world can see their living friends in the world of light; 
 and that it is in their power to return to the abodes of 
 the living, and reward, or punish them, according to 
 their faithfulness or unfaithfulness, in making the 
 necessary offerings for those who are in the prison of 
 the spirit world. 
 
 V. — They believe that the dead ancestors who are 
 neglected by their living relatives, as well as the spirits 
 of those whose families have become extinct, become 
 
10 
 
 beggar spirits in the world of darkness, and are forced, 
 in order to secure even a wretched subsistence, to herd 
 with the spirits of the multitudes who have died in 
 war, at sea, of starvation, or in foreign countries ; who, 
 in consequence of their burial places not being known, 
 or having no relatives to sacrifice to them, are entirely 
 dependent upon public charity. (From this belief has 
 arisen the custom of contributing, three times a year, 
 immense quantities of paper cash and paper Sycee — 
 called din — which are transmitted to the Chinese pur- 
 gatory, for their use). 
 
 VI. — They believe that nearly all the ills to which 
 flesh is heir— as sickness, calamity and death, are in- 
 flicted by these unfortunate and demoniacal spirits ; 
 who, in attempting to avenge themselves, prey upon 
 those in the world of light, who are in no way respon- 
 sible for their forlorn condition : consequently, Chinese 
 from the same locality,' who congregate in a distant 
 city, or country for business, in order to avoid personal 
 danger and public calamity, invariably establish a 
 Wei-kwan ; the main object of which is to take the 
 custody of their friends who die there, and in due time, 
 assist the friends of their deceased companions, in re- 
 covering their bodies, or, as in the case of those who 
 die at a great distance, their bones, or the ashes of 
 their bones ; in order that they may be interred with 
 the other members of the family, and be partakers of 
 all the benefits of the Ancestral offerings. 
 
 VII. — They believe in the immortality of the 
 soul, and in certain kinds and degrees of rewards and 
 punishments in the spirit world. As to the rewards, 
 they desire, when they shall have served their term of 
 
 \ 
 
11 
 
 probation in, or been released from, the prison of the 
 spirit world, to be promoted, in their second advent 
 into the world of light, to a more honorable position, 
 or to one, in which they may enjoy greater wealth. 
 There is no other heaven, or state of rest, predicated of 
 any of the Chinese systems of religion, than that of 
 exemption from punishment. 
 
 The punishments supposed to be inflicted in the 
 spirit world, are a reflection of those of the Chinese 
 Criminal Code ; and are of the most brutal character. 
 Illustrations of some of these may found in Jpf jli§ -„ l p 
 Kwang-foh-sz temple, in the city of Shanghai ; where 
 men are represented as being sawn asunder, roasted, 
 flayed or beaten with many stripes. But, as the Chi- 
 nese have no idea of an omniscient God, and have no 
 higher standard of official justice and probity than 
 what they see exhibited by their own officials, they 
 cannot conceive of any higher degree of prescience on 
 the part of the authorities of the world of darkness 
 than what they see illustrated by the authorities of the 
 world of light — China: consequently, these illustrations 
 in the temples, have about as much restraining influ- 
 ence upon their evil propensities, as the bamboo and 
 executioner’s sword have upon hardened offenders in 
 this world. They all believe that there are many 
 chances of evading their just deserts in both worlds. 
 
 VIII. — They believe that a. man has three souls; 
 and that at death, one remains with the corpse, one 
 with the ancestral tablet, and that the other is arrested 
 and imprisoned in the world of darkness. Hence, we 
 find that the Chinese, when they wash to appease, or 
 attempt to ameliorate the condition of their departed 
 
12 
 
 friends, worship and present offerings at three differ- 
 ent places ; the grave, the Ancestral tablet, and before 
 the fij| Cheng Hwang ( Ilsien deity) under whose 
 jurisdiction the man is supposed to be undergoing trial 
 and punishment. The means used to propitiate these 
 Ilsien deities and their subordinates, are similar to 
 those used with City magistrates, by those who have 
 friends incarcerated under them. Presents of money, 
 or other things of value, and importunate entreaties, 
 usually have some effect in securing the comfort of pri- 
 soners, if not their release. The gods, it is supposed, 
 are influenced by like means. 
 
 IX. — Their belief in regard to the personnel of the 
 reigning power and government of the spirit world is 
 remarkable for its ingenuity and adaptation to their 
 capacity. Having no knowledge of God, or of a Di- 
 vine revelation ; and standing in great dread of the 
 spirits of the dead, they naturally enough decreed that 
 the spirits of deceased officials, should exercise juris- 
 diction over the spirits in the world of darkness ; and 
 thus they formed a government for that world, which 
 is found to be a perfect counterpart of the Government 
 of China, — the world of light — from the Emperor down 
 to the meanest .subordinate of a District Magistrate’s 
 suite. 
 
 Hence, we find that the District Magistrate who 
 governs the people directly, and who is accountable to 
 to his superior — the Prefect of a department, has his 
 correlate deity, to assist him in maintaining public 
 tranquillity, in the person of the Cheng Hwang, 
 
 who is the apotheosis of an official, who ranks, in the 
 spirit world, with the District Magistrate in China. He 
 
13 
 
 is charged with a jurisdiction over the spirits within 
 the Magistrate’s district, similar to that exercised by 
 the Magistrate over the people within that district. 
 This, being the municipal and guardian diety of the 
 listen, is much worshiped by the people in connection 
 with Ancestral worship. 
 
 The Prefect of a department, — consisting of several 
 Districts — who has jurisdiction over all the Magis- 
 trates within his Department, and who is accountable 
 to the Provincial Governor, has his correlate deity — of 
 like rank in the spirit world — in the jfrf [>|r Foo 
 Cheng Hwang ; — The apotheosis of a former Prefect — 
 who is charged with a jurisdiction, in the spirit world, 
 over all the ^ ftj? Cheng Hwangs of the several dis- 
 tricts within the Department, similar to that exercised 
 by the Prefect over all the Magistrates within his De- 
 partment ; and to whom cases may be appealed from 
 the Courts of all the ^ Cheng Hwangs of the 
 several districts of the Department, just as cases may 
 be appealed from the Magistrate to the Prefect. 
 
 The Governor of a Province, who has jurisdiction 
 over all the prefects, and through them, over all the 
 Magistrates of his Province, and who is accountable 
 directly to the Emperor, has his correlate deity, of 
 equal rank in the spirit world, in the [}J| Too 
 
 Cheng Hwang or f) J[ Sang Cheng Hwang ; — the 
 
 apotheosis of a former Governor — who is charged with 
 a jurisdiction over all the jfT f)|j. Foo Cheng Hwangs, 
 and through them, over all the fij[ Cheng Hwangs 
 within his Province, similar to that exercised by the 
 Provincial Governor over all his subordinates in the 
 Province. 
 
14 
 
 The Emperor J|l ^ Hwang-ti, who rules the 
 Empire by means of Governors of Provinces, Prefects 
 of Departments, and Magistrates of Districts ; and who 
 is accountable to no one on earth, has his correlate 
 deity, of equal rank and dignity, in the person of 
 Shang-ti, Supreme ruler, the apotheosis of a former 
 Emperor of China, who is ex officio Supreme in the 
 spirit world, and who is regarded as the Guardian of the 
 Imperial family and nation; who, through the 
 P ^ Sang Cheng Hwangs of Provinces ; the jpj 1 f^J| 
 Foo Cheng Hwangs of Departments, and the ££ Jill 
 Cheng Hwangs of Districts, exercises a jurisdiction over 
 all the gods of the spirit world, similar to that exercis- 
 ed by the Emperor over all his subordinates in the 
 Empire. The one is supreme among men, while the 
 other is supreme among the gods and men. That this 
 temporal and Spiritual government co-exists, may be 
 regarded as axiomatic ; for, as the existence of Magis- 
 trates of districts ; Prefects of Departments ; and Go- 
 vernors of Provinces in an Empire, implies the exist- 
 ence of an Emperor, or one who is Supreme — the Source 
 of power to exercise these several functions ; so does 
 the existence of their correlates in the government of 
 the spirit world — the 1$ fig? Cheng Hwangs of dis- 
 tricts ; the If? f) Q Foo Cheng Jlwangs of Prefect ; 
 and the Sang Cheng Hwangs of Provinces, 
 
 imply the existence of an Imperial deity— the correlate 
 of the Emperor — J§| Hwang-ti — one who exercises 
 
 Supreme power in the spirit world. That there is such 
 a deity is logicallg certain. Now this correlate we 
 have in 'ifr Shang-ti — Supreme ruler — who is wor- 
 shiped only by the Emperor. He is universally 
 
15 
 
 regarded as the chief of the Chinese panthean. No 
 other deity known to the Chinese will meet the case ; 
 for he alone rules Supreme among the gods and spirits, 
 as the Emperor rules Supreme among officials and men.* 
 Thus the correlation of the government of the living 
 and of the dead is complete ; and it could be logically 
 completed in no other way : for the official etiquette of 
 the world of darkness is decreed to be similar to that 
 of the world of light. Therefore, a superior is not ex- 
 pected to worship the correlate deity of his subordinate. 
 And, in point of fact, it is not done. Hence the 
 necessity of providing Magisterial, Prefectural, Provin- 
 cial, and Imperial deities, to meet the requirements of 
 the literati and of all the officials, in the exigencies of 
 the Government and of ancestral worship. And it is 
 no detraction from the argument that 'f(V Shang-ti 
 is the correlate of lH. ^ Hwang-ti, to say that the 
 latter designation is comparatively a modern term, 
 •while the former is considered to be very ancent. For we 
 know that the Emperor arrogates to himself the right, 
 and the power, to change the titles of the gods, in 
 order to maintain the due order of propriety. Even 
 the deceased father of a son who has obtained a literary 
 degree which the father had not obtained, has posthum- 
 ous honors conferred upon him, in order to maintain 
 this order of propriety in the spirit world. For, let it 
 be borne in mind, that all persons having literary de- 
 
 * This being the status of _t Shang-ti, how can that term be used by 
 us, religious teachers, as a designation for God, the Creator of heaven 
 and earth ? With the audacious assumption of the Emperor of China, 
 to be the ruler of the world — the Supreme potentate it is not strange 
 that the language used to describe the power, beneficence and dominion, 
 of his correlate deity — the supreme ruler of the spirit world — should be 
 found to be such as is applicable to God — the only Supreme Euler of 
 the universe. 
 
16 
 
 grees, as well as those who hold rank in the govern- 
 ment service, are accredited with their respective 
 degrees or rank in the spirit world ; and that they are 
 consequently entitled to the same relative mark of res- 
 pect there, among spirits, that their degrees or rank 
 secured to them in the world of light. Their surviving 
 friends claim for them this mark of respect, and it is 
 readily accorded by the public. Their graves even 
 have marks that show to the initiated what was the 
 rank of the inmate. And in the funeral procession in 
 honor of the dead, the color and trimmings of the emp- 
 ty sedan, in which the spirit of the deceased is suppos- 
 ed to be carried, indicate the rank of the occupant. 
 The spirit of a deceased high official, and even the spirit 
 of the wife of such an official, is entitled to, and receives 
 divine honors from all the officials of a subordinate 
 rank at the Hsien City where such demise takes place. 
 This fact has just been illustrated before my eyes. The 
 second or small wife of a Chinese general from the in- 
 terior died at Shanghai ; and the corpse was deposited 
 in the house, next door to my residence, in order to 
 perform the usual forty-nine days of mourning (the 
 seven sevens). The five or six officials of Shanghai 
 came out, in great state, with all their retinue on every 
 seventh day, and bowed dowu to the ancestral tablet 
 of the deceased just as they do on the first of the month 
 before their deities. 
 
 It should also be born in mind that as the rank of 
 all officials in China, as well as their authority to exer- 
 cise jurisdiction over men, emmanates from the Emperor 
 'ffr J|l Hiuang-ti ; — so also, do the rank and authority 
 of their correlate dieties to exercise jurisdiction over 
 
17 
 
 the spirits in the world of darkness. And farther ; 
 these deities for a remarkable display of power, are by 
 the same Imperial power, promoted to higher degrees 
 iu the government of the spirit world ; just as their 
 correlate officials iu the government of China are pro- 
 moted to higher degrees for a display of energy and 
 tact in the public service. • 
 
 And while the correlate deities of all the above 
 officials are only of equal rank ; yet the fact that they 
 have been apotheosized, makes them their superiors, 
 and fit objects of worship. There are many other offi- 
 cials with their correlate deities, in the various bran- 
 ches of the Government, but I have taken only those 
 who govern the people directly, whose correlate dei- 
 ties are appealed to in cases connected with Ancestral 
 worship. 
 
 The framers of this wonderful scheme for the gov- 
 ernment of the spirits of the dead, having no higher 
 standard, transferred to the authorities of that world, 
 the etiquette, tastes, habits and venality of their corre- 
 late officials in the Chinese Government ; thus making 
 it necessary to use similar means to appease the one, 
 which are found to be necessary to move the other. 
 
 All the gods described above have their assistants, 
 attendants, doorkeepers, runners, detectives and execu- 
 tioners ; corresponding in every particular to those of 
 the Chinese officials of the same rank. They cease 
 business and take a month’s holiday at the new year, 
 just as the Chinese officials do : they occupy their 
 yamens — the temples, and the people say, rotate in 
 office, just as the Chinese officials do ; while their sub- 
 ordinates, detectives, &c., are out on duty, at various 
 

 18 
 
 strategic points of the city and country ; guarding 
 against the depredations of the demoniacal and dis- 
 contented spirits in order to preserve public tran- 
 quillity i. e. prevent sickness and calamity. These 
 guardians of the public, are to be seen at their several 
 stations : — some in the temples — in attendance upon 
 their superiors ; — some at the gates of the yamens — 
 the large figures on the door ; — some at the city gates ; 
 some at bridges in the city and in the country ; some 
 at the forks of roads, while others will be found on 
 guard in the city, where a north and south street is- 
 forced by a blank wall, to turn at right angles. Here 
 will sometimes be found, inserted in the wall, a stone 
 slab, to fend off: in other more important and crowd- 
 ed streets, will be found a niche, containing small 
 images, where candles and incense are often lighted. 
 
 This is considered a necessary precaution : for, as 
 spirits are said to move in straight lines, it is supposed 
 that they are annoyed at having their course obstruct- 
 ed by a blank wall. But finding themselves in the 
 immediate presence of subordinates of their own au- 
 thorities, is deemed quite sufficient to restrain their ill 
 will, and prevent them from avenging themselves upon 
 any one who might be passing at the time. 
 
 The Chinese, in building their dwelling houses, 
 avail themselves of their supposed knowledge of the 
 reputed habits of spirits, and so construct them as to 
 conduct the spirits out of, rather than into, the pre- 
 mises. This desirable end is accomplish by zig-zag 
 passages and by not placing doors or windows opposite 
 to each other — a thing rarely ever seen in a Chinese 
 dwelling house. And where it cannot be avoided in j. 
 
19 
 
 the front hall, a fixed screen is placed before the back 
 door : and ingress and egress is around this screen. 
 Other devices are adopted, where there is no official 
 to look after them, to guard against the calamitous in- 
 fluence of the spirits of the dead. 
 
 To determine the length of time the foregoing 
 well defined system has been in operation is not the 
 object of the present essay. No one however, will find 
 any difficulty in tracing it back to the time of the con- 
 solidation of the feudal states into the Government — 
 a period of more than two thousand years. Beyond 
 this period, owing to the absence of reliable details in 
 the records that have come down to our day, it be- 
 comes us to speak with modesty of the certainty of 
 anything, as well as of the exact meaning, as then 
 understood, of any record at our disposal. For, having 
 to go back through the minds of lexicographers and 
 commentators of subsequent ages, and influenced more 
 or less by the interpreters of to day, we cannot verify, 
 by observation and actual contact, the systems beyond 
 the period of which I am speaking. 
 
 The practical working even of the systems of to- 
 day, is quite different from the recorded theories upon 
 which they are based. But, that this system did exist 
 in substance, if not in the exact form and nomencla- 
 ture, in the ages beyond, is more than probable ; for 
 the Chinese are not the people to abandon their cher- 
 ished systems of religion, with every change of dynasty 
 or form of Government. And we have, in the ancient 
 classics, evidences of its existence cropping out, all the 
 way back to the dawn of Chinese history, when Shun 
 worshiped his ancestors and the host of jjflfl Shun. It 
 
 \ 
 
20 
 
 was doubtless much more simple then than at the pre- 
 sent period with which we have to do. 
 
 11. 
 
 The Practices of the Chinese in Regard to their Dead, 
 as Illustrative of the Foregoing Theory. 
 
 When a member of a family falls seriously ill, the 
 relatives present offerings to, and worship before, their 
 ancestral tablets, under the impression that this illness 
 may be the result of insufficient offering to their dead 
 ancestors. If the sick person does not improve soon, 
 they call a medium — usually a woman — to divine whe- 
 ther the sickness is caused by one of their own ances- 
 tors or by a beggar spirit. If it is found to be by the 
 former, they burn a large quantity of din before the 
 Ancestral tablets ; if by the latter, din is burned with- 
 out the door, to satisfy and appease the discontented 
 spirit. If this is not effective, priests are employed to 
 exorcise the spirits, and place guards over the door. 
 {Din is “joss paper” — the Sycee of the spirit world. 
 It is thin paper covered over with tin foil, and pasted 
 over a block of wood in the form of a shoe of Chinese 
 Sycee silver, and is universally regarded as the silver 
 currency of the spirit world. It is transmitted by 
 combustion ; for everything intended for the exclusive 
 use of the spirits must be rendered invisible. The 
 manufacture of this “joss paper ” gives employment 
 to a large proportion of Chinese women in the cities). 
 If the sick person becomes delirious, or his extremities 
 become cold, they suppose that one of his souls has 
 left the body, or that a demon spirit has captured and 
 carried if off. Acting upon this belief, some member 
 of the family, with a lantern to show the way, stands 
 
21 
 
 without the door, and calls the sick person by name, 
 to come back. This is a peculiar call, indicating af- 
 fectionate anxiety, and is often continued to a late 
 hour of the night. 
 
 The moment a man dies he is supposed to be ar- 
 rested by the authorities of the world of darkness. 
 While he was ill, his friends were at a loss to know 
 what to do for him, but after he is dead they have 
 no more difficulty in deciding what he requires to 
 promote his comfort w T here he has gone, than they 
 have in deciding what will secure the comfort of a 
 friend, who has been incarcerated in the city Magis- 
 trates’ Yamen. The experiment has been tried, suc- 
 cessfully, so frequently, that is has become a law. 
 
 I will state, in order, the various things, deemed 
 absolutely necessary to be done, in order to settle a 
 spirit comfortably in the other w r orld, and the reason 
 why. 
 
 I. — The first thing done — in this part of China — 
 when the spirit leaves the body, is to place a cup of 
 of cold water at the door, in order that he may take a 
 last drink. I have found no one who could or would 
 give me an explanation of this strange custom ; for the 
 Chinese as a rule do not drink cold water. 
 
 II. — The next thing deemed necessary to be done 
 for the comfort of the departed, is to burn a suit of 
 good clothes ; the object of which is to make him pre- 
 sentable, and thus secure for him kind treatment while 
 in the hands of the police or runners of the court of 
 the other world. It is a well known fact that the run- 
 ners of a Chinese Yamen usually treat a Avell dressed 
 prisoner with some degree of consideration ; while a 
 
22 
 
 beggarly looking fellow is roughly handled. In like 
 manner the runners of the Cheng Hwang, of the spirit 
 world, are influenced by personal appearance. 
 
 III. — The next thing done, is to burn a quantity 
 of din ; the object of which is to provide the departed 
 spirit with the requiste funds to enable him to bribe 
 the runners to allow him to escape before they reach 
 the Yamen of the high officials. As it is not an un- 
 heard of thing; for the runners of a Magistrate's Ya- 
 men to allow a prisoner, for a consideration, to escape 
 and then report that they could not find him, they 
 suppose that the runners of the spirit wprld are influ- 
 enced by similar motives, and provide for it. 
 
 IV. — They next proceed to burn the bed and bed- 
 ding and most of the wardrobe, his boots and shoes 
 
 and other personal articles, in order that the departed -» 
 
 friend may be provided with every necessary comfort 
 in his present position, whether in prison or at liberty. 
 Meanwhile, acting upon the policy well known to be 
 necessary as well as effectual with Chinese officials, all 
 the relatives, neighbors, and friends of the deceased 
 send in large contributions of din, to enable their 
 friend, if he has been so unfortunate as to be incarce- 
 rated to pay the prison keeper and bribe the officials, 
 and thus greatly ameliorate his condition during his 
 trial and punishment. Fear is probably the ruling 
 motive that prompts these demonstrations of friend- 
 ship : for when a man is dead, he is. in a position to 
 avenge himself of all the injuries of which he may 
 have thought himself the subject. Hence these large 
 contributions by friends and neighbors, and in fact by 
 all who feel that the deceased had aught against them. 
 
23 
 
 For so prevalent ancl potent is the opinion, that the 
 dead have power over the living, that it is by no means 
 an uncommon tragedy for a person having an irrecon- 
 cilable difficulty with another, to take his or her own 
 life, in order to place him or herself in a position to be 
 avenged. That is effected in this way, the man who 
 hangs himself on the house or premises of another, in 
 law, makes that man his murderer, and amenable to the 
 law for the crime of murder, for which decapitation is 
 the punishment. Thus he secures his degradation 
 among men, and is sure of his punishment in the 
 spirit world ; for he goes in advance to institute suit 
 against him. This is a dernier argument with women 
 who feel that they have been unjustly treated ; and, 
 unfortunately, too many of them carry their threat in- 
 to execution. (But the husband is not usually pun- 
 ished for the suicide of his wife). 
 
 V. — The coffin and burial clothes, &c., form most 
 important items in the list of things deemed necessary 
 for the respectability, comfort and repose of a man in 
 the spirit world. The clothes must be new, with cap 
 and satin boots ; in a word, the corpse must be dressed 
 as the person would have been dressed, in hired clothes, 
 for a feast. A man’s respectability in that world is 
 estimated, as much by the appearance of his dwelling 
 there, as it is in this life. Hence the relatives and 
 family of a deceased parent, in order to secure for him 
 that mark of respectability, often impoverish them- 
 selves for years, in order to provide for him a decent 
 burial. Indeed, so much importance is attached to 
 this matter, that men advanced in life and blessed with 
 means, — to insure for themselves a suitable habitation* 
 
24 
 
 when they die, — often superintend the making, and 
 varnishing of their own coffins. 
 
 They even go further, while they have the means, 
 lest some misfortune should overtake the family before 
 they die, — and employ one skilled in fung sliui to select 
 a fortunate place for their graves, and construct vaults, 
 and raise mounds, for their entire family. These 
 vaults, are usually in a line, under one long mound, 
 with the top separated so as to give a peak for each 
 vault ; hence, some of the graves we see about Shang- 
 hai are empty vaults. 
 
 VI, — On every seventh day, for seven sevenths, 
 after the death of an individual, the female members 
 of the family are expected to give vent to boisterous 
 lamentations ; during which they call the deceased by 
 name, and recount all of his or her virtues and good 
 qualities. It is supposed that the sight of this demon- 
 stration of grief will have about the same influence, in 
 modifying the intended punishment, or period of im- 
 prisonment of their friend, that similar demonstrations 
 have with a district Magistrate, in behalf of a friend 
 incarcerated in his Yamen. "With the same object in 
 view, families of some wealth employ persons, during 
 this period of active mourning, and also, subsequently, 
 during the season of worshiping at the tombs, to blow 
 at their graves, at night, a ram’s horn or conch shell. 
 
 VII. — Entertaining the spirit. 
 
 From the 9th to the 17th day after a death — 
 depending on the day of the month on which the per- 
 son dies, — the spirit is supposed to return to the family 
 residence, bringing with it a host of other spirits. Ac- 
 cording to a time honoured custom, the family, to 
 
 i 
 
entertain their relative, and counteract the baneful in- 
 fluence of this visitation, employs Taoist or Buddhist 
 priests, to perform, on that day, at the family resid- 
 ence, the ceremony called Kung-teh; the object of 
 which is to gratify and appease their deceased relative, 
 and frighten the accompanying spirits and thus shield 
 the family. The relatives and friends of the deceased 
 are invited to meet him and take part in the general 
 festivities of the family. In preparing for this great 
 occasion the family hall is denuded of its ordinary 
 furniture, and decorated with embroidered hangings of 
 various devices, — emblems of authority in the spirit 
 world, — to intimidate the spirits ; and for the time it 
 looks more like the abode of royalty than of a merch- 
 ant or shopman. 
 
 The Ancestral tablet of the expected visitor is 
 elevated with a small image, to a position on a table 
 in the centre of the decorated hall ; before which the 
 members of the family most humbly bow and confess 
 their shortcomings, and promise to be more faithful in 
 the future ; and around which the priests, attired in 
 imperial robes, march, chanting and bowing to the 
 ringing of a small bell by the abbot or master of cere- 
 monies. The whole affair amounts to a most humble 
 confession, and deep humiliation on the part of the 
 family. This ceremony, enlivened by music and gong 
 is kept up one, two or three days. When the guests 
 are invited to partake of refreshments, a table furnish- 
 ed with viands and chopsticks is set in a vacant 
 room for the spirit guests. When all things are ready 
 the master of ceremonies enters this vacant room, and 
 after incantation and a wave of his wand, of au- 
 
26 
 
 thority, orders the spirits to come and partake of 
 what had been provided for them, and to keep quiet. 
 At the close of the ceremony, he re-enters this vacant 
 room, and, with incantations and another wave of his 
 wand, and, thrusting a sword towards the four points 
 of the compass, orders the spirits to depart ; and, on 
 pain of the severest punishment, not to disturb the 
 quiet of that family. The spirit guests, terrified at the 
 sight of the sword and emblems of authority, and at 
 the sound of gong and fire crackers, are supposed to 
 to take their departure to their proper place of abode. 
 The family pays the abbot’s bill and takes his word for 
 it, that the spirits will not molest them. 
 
 VIII. — The last, and one of the most important 
 considerations in settling a spirit in the spirit world, is 
 the location — the fung shui of the grave. The term — 
 fang shui , is never used except with reference to the 
 repose of the dead, or the influence of the dead upon 
 the happiness and welfare of the living. It may then, 
 be described as the status-quo, between the living and 
 the dead, ft is therefore considered a matter of vital 
 importance, in selecting a place for the family grave, 
 that it should be done with reference to conserving the 
 interest and happiness of both parties. To do this suc- 
 cessfully, certain things must be taken into the account ; 
 and no one can perceive these necessary prerequisites 
 but a fung shui professor, who, by long experience and 
 practice, has become skilled in observing them. And 
 it is difficult to say which has been the more success- 
 ful in deceiving the people, and fung shui professors, or 
 the priests. 
 
 The Chinese derive their idea of the necessity of a 
 
27 
 
 suitable place for the grave from their observation of 
 the operations of nature. They have observed that the 
 vegetable kingdom, though apparently dead while the 
 functions of its organs are suspended during winter, 
 recognizes the approach of summer, and responds to it 
 by springing into life and beauty. It is observed too, 
 that this spirit of animation brings with it life, joy, and 
 increase to all the animal kingdom; and that, it pro- 
 ceeds from the South. Again, it is observed that at 
 the approach of winter all nature dies, and that the 
 cause of this apparent death, proceeds from the North : 
 hence we have the points of good and evil influences. 
 
 These observations have induced the belief that, as 
 man is the head of creation, there must be a genial and 
 and animating influence moving gently from the South, 
 designed for his special benefit; the effects of which, 
 if not disturbed by objects or influences, calculated to 
 intercept or divide it, and consequently induce an op- 
 posite, and baneful influence from the North, will be to 
 produce in man, something analogous to what has 
 been observed in the operation of nature on the vege- 
 table and animal kingdom, physical and mental vigor, 
 increase of family, and great commercial and political 
 prosperity. Hence the great importance of securing, 
 at any cost, the best possible place for the grave ; in 
 order that the dead may receive the good influence 
 from the South, and be shielded from the evil from the 
 North ; for it is inferred that the dead are as sensible 
 to the presence of this animating influence as trees, 
 plants and animals are, and that they will, if put in 
 a suitable place, in like manner realize and acknow- 
 ledge its presence, by prospering the living members 
 
I 
 
 of the family, who, in return, attribute their prosperity 
 to the fung sliui of their graves, and return, the com- 
 pliment, by increased attention to their offerings. On 
 the other hand, if a grave, without due regard to the 
 fung sliui of the locality, is placed in a position that 
 does not receive the good influence from the South, but 
 is exposed so the baneful blasts from the North, the 
 dead are sensible of the fact, and avenge themselves by 
 witholding from the living family the blessing and 
 prosperity usually attributed to them. From these 
 considerations it can be readily seen how important a 
 matter the position of the grave is ; and how very loth 
 a rich Chinaman must be to sell, or move his grave 
 from a place that has proved to be a good and prosper- 
 ous one. The foregoing is what is deemed necessary 
 to be done for the dead, when they first enter the spirit 
 world. Hence, the death of an important member of 
 a family is regarded as a great calamity ; mainly in 
 many cases, on account of the responsibilities which it 
 entails. 
 
 III. 
 
 All the foregoing preliminary arrangements hav- 
 ing been scrupulously attended to, the family restricts 
 its efforts to what is generally considered the main acts 
 of ancestral worship, viz. : the forwarding of supplies, 
 worshiping at the tombs and before the ancestral 
 tablets, and, an occasional effort to extricate their de- 
 parted friends from some purgatorial difficulty. 
 
 These offerings to the dead, to "be successful and 
 acceptable, must be presented by a relative of the male 
 line. It is, by inheritance, the right, duty, and privi- 
 lege of the oldest son, or his heir, to perform this 
 
29 
 
 sacred rite. To insure his attending to the matter, he 
 inherits a larger portion of his father’s estate than his 
 brothers do. If he has no son, and arty of his brothers 
 have, he may adopt one of their sons to be his heir. 
 If he is cut oft' by death, without having made arrange- 
 ments for a successor, it is the duty of his brothers to 
 appoint one of then- sons to succeed him in his estate 
 and filial duties. This individual, though an infant in 
 the arms of a nurse, is master of ceremonies in Ances- 
 tral Worship. Great stress is laid upon this matter : 
 for the virtue of the ancestral offerings depends upon 
 the regular line of descent of the master of Ceremonies. 
 Hence the priceless value of a son to a Chinaman may 
 be imagined, but not realized by us. We may hence 
 understand the great preference for sons over daught- 
 ers ; and the great joy and the many congratulations 
 in a Chinese family at the birth of a son, while the 
 reverse is the case, at the birth of a daughter. A man 
 with many sons is pronounced by all fortunate, yea 
 happy ; for the succession to keep up the ancestral of- 
 ferings, is guaranteed ; while a man with all daughters 
 and no sons is commiserated. 
 
 The period for worshiping at the tombs, is about 
 one hundred and five days after the winter solstice 
 say about April 6th. It continues in season two or 
 three weeks, and is called Cli ing Ming. On the first 
 day of this anniversary the men connected with the 
 different Wei-kwans, spread over the graves in their 
 connection vast quantities of yellow paper, cut in the 
 form of strings of cash, and burn din before the tablets 
 of those whose friends are at a distance. 
 
 On any day of this season of worship, members of 
 
30 
 
 families — male and female, dressed in their best attire, 
 repair to their family grave, make sueh repairs as the 
 mounds may need, to show that they hre watched ; and 
 then proceed to make their annual offerings, aud per- 
 form their annual devotions to their ancestors. The 
 master of ceremonies in person, or by some one in his 
 presence, arranges the various offerings, consisting 
 usually of a fowl and fish, and sometimes a pig, or a 
 pig’s head and tail iu the mouth, — showing the extre- 
 mities of a whole hog ; wine, lighted candles and in- 
 cense, — for the spirits being in the dark need light ; a 
 straw basket or house in miniature, filled with din ; a 
 paper trunk, filled with paper clothing and din, with 
 paper lock and key ; a paper sedan chan-, with rush 
 poles, for those who were in the habit of riding in 
 sedans ; a paper horse for the equestrian, writing ma- 
 terials for the literary man ; a paper boat for the boat- 
 man, and other things are included among the offer- 
 ings at the graves All this paper and straw stuff, 
 having been arranged before the different grave mounds 
 according to the code of honor, is set on fire ; and 
 while it is being consumed, Sam situ, is poured over it, 
 to inciease the flame, and to render that fluid invisible 
 and consequently available for the spirits. As the 
 blaze of the burning mass ascends, the master of cere- 
 monies kneel on a red cloth spread before his offer- 
 ings, and bows his head to the ground nine times ; 
 precisely as the people do in the temples before their 
 deities. His example is followed by all the members 
 of the family present, not excepting even the young- 
 er, who are receiving their first lessons in Aucestral 
 Worship. The offerings which are consumed are 
 
31 
 
 supposed to be transmitted to those for whom they were 
 designed. 
 
 The spirits are supposed to partake of the flavor 
 of the viands that are not consumed, after which they 
 are taken home to be used at the family feast on this 
 festive occasion. This rite, differing only in the quan- 
 tity, and variety of the offerings made, is performed 
 every year in this way, and at this season, by almost 
 every Chinese family, except those who have become 
 Christians. The poor usually present but little more 
 in the way of offerings than a basket of din for each 
 departed relative. They all, during ch'ing mine/, pre- 
 sent offerings to, and worship before their ancestral ta- 
 blets, and subsequently, on the 1st and 15th of each 
 month ; also before the Cheng Hwang , within whose 
 jurisdiction the spirits are supposed to be confined. 
 High officials present offerings in person, or by proxy, 
 to their correlate deities. The care of the dead is a 
 burden that no one, but such as are familiar with the 
 Chinese, can appreciate. But so long as they are in 
 heathenism it must be borne. For however much they 
 may be divided in other matters, as, systems of reli- 
 gion, dialects, degrees of intelligence, wealth, &c., 
 they are a unit in regard to this rite, both as to time 
 and manner. A man may be a high- way robber, but if 
 he be an only son, he will return to his home at ch‘ing 
 ming to perform his filial duties. Government officials, 
 from the highest to the lowest, may be excused the 
 neglect of the most pressing clutias, if they can plead 
 in extenuation of their neglect, that they were attend- 
 ing to their filial obligations. Other matters can be 
 postponed, but this must be attended to, and at the 
 
proper time. Lt is a duty that takes precedence of all 
 others, and the faithful performance of it, is a virtue 
 that hides a multitude of sins. A man may discard 
 any, or all of the other systems of religion, but this, 
 he dare not. His own happiness, the perpetuity and 
 happiness of his family, and the comfort and repose of 
 , his ancestors depend upon it. It is the one idea that 
 excites in the Chinese mind a feelim? of awe and revel- 
 ence, and enlists the three strongest passions of the 
 human heart,— parental affection, self love and fear. 
 The latter, is undoubtedly the predominant feeling. To 
 provide for its proper execution and perpetuation, is 
 the great business of life, among all classes, from the 
 Emperor down. Hence every parent, feeling his res- 
 ponsibility in this matter, endeavors to perpetuate his 
 family name by betrothing his sons in marriage at an 
 early age, a custom that has developed many evils, but 
 one that is supposed to secure more families. The 
 priests have, for ages, so thoroughly drilled the people 
 in regard to all that is necessary to connect the happi- 
 ness of the living with the comfort of the dead, that 
 this knowledge forms a part of their nature and con- 
 stitution ; and enters into all the ramifications of socie- 
 ty and government. For it is handed down from 
 father to son from generation to generation ; the sons 
 having it indelibly impressed on their minds at an age, 
 of which they have no recollection when they become 
 men. 
 
 They however, are still dependent on the priests — 
 the interpreters of the gods — for their knowledge of 
 the condition of their departed ancestors, as well as of 
 what is necessary to relieve them when in trouble. 
 
The priests have learned a lesson from the Chinese of- 
 ficials, and seize upon every favorable opportunity to 
 squeeze the rich. In their watchful devotions before 
 their deities, they have no difficulty in discovering that 
 some one of their parishioners, who, a short time ago, 
 was arrested- and taken to the spirit world, and whose 
 family is well to do in life, is in a wretched condition 
 in the world of darkness ; and they manage very deli- 
 cately, to convey information of the fact to the family 
 of the deceased. The family, greatly distressed and 
 alarmed, — for they thought that they had just done all 
 in their power to settle the spirit of their departed re- 
 lation — send for the priest who having no fear of 
 exposure, goes into an investigation, and discovers that 
 the unfortunate man is confined in a deep pit, and 
 guarded by sword and spear ; and with some show of 
 emotion, informs the family that nothing short of three 
 days Kung-teh, — meritorious service — and a large ex- 
 penditure of money, will rescue him from that place of 
 confinement. The family, anxious to do something for 
 his relief, urgently enquire what sum will be required. 
 The answer to this question is usually in accordance 
 with the position, and supposed ability of the family 
 to pay. We will say his demand in this instance is 
 Tls. 1000. The astonished family plead their inabili- 
 ty to pay so much. The priest is not disposed to 
 undertake it for less ; and reminds them that the con- 
 sequences of allowing their friend to remain where he 
 is will rest upon them. They hold a hasty consulta- 
 tion, as to what they shall ofier. Tls. 500 is agreed 
 upon. The priest refuses to undertake it for that sum. 
 After further conference they offer Tls. 700. The pri- 
 
34 
 
 est, with some hesitation, agrees to undertake it for 
 that amount ; at the same time, he informs them that 
 it will be very difficult to accomplish it for that money. 
 
 A day is appointed ; the family hall is stripped of 
 all its ordinary furniture, and decorated by the priests, 
 in a gorgeous manner, with temple regalia — emblems 
 of authority in the spirit world. 
 
 The ancestral tablet of the unfortunate one is 
 placed on a table in the centre of the hall, and sur- 
 rounded by small idols, and insignia of authority. 
 Around this table, the priests, five, seven or nine, at- 
 tired in richly embroidered imperial robes, march in 
 measured pace, chanting their incantations. This cere- 
 mony of ts'au-du — (getting a man out of purgatory), 
 is continued day and night, enlivened at intervals by 
 music and gong. 
 
 Meanwhile all the relatives and friends, who have 
 been invited to help, and the priests’ live on the family. 
 On the afternoon of the second day the abbot or mas- 
 ter of ceremonies, with some confusion and great 
 emotion, informs the family that the position of the 
 unfortunate is unchanged, and that the authorities of 
 the spirit world will not entertain the idea of releas- 
 ing him for Tls. 700. The family and relatives bestir 
 themselves to borrow, if they cannot otherwise raise 
 the additional sum of Tls. 300. The priest return to 
 their work with renewed zeal. The chanting is more 
 energetic, the step is much quicker, and the ringing of 
 the abbot’s bell is more frequent: while the family 
 weep over their misfortune. In due time the Master 
 of ceremonies announce a commotion in the prison of 
 the spirits world, and that the unfortunate spirit is 
 
about to be released. This news is proof that the ad- 
 ditional Tls. 300 had the desired effect, aud is some 
 consolation to the anxious family for the unexpected 
 outlay. On the third day, the master of ceremonies 
 makes another examination, as to the actual condition 
 of the man ; after which he, with great agitation, in- 
 forms the family that the unfortunate man is nearly 
 out, that he is simply clinging to be mouth of the cave 
 and is looking with anxious solicitude for further aid ; 
 but those in charge will not let him go unless they are 
 paid : now what is to be done ? 
 
 (This corresponds to the demands usually made 
 upon a prisoner by the subordinates of a Yconen after 
 the demands of the Chinese official are satisfied and 
 his release ordered.) The family, frantic with anxiety, 
 tear the bangles from their arms and the rings from 
 their fingers, and produce other jewels aud articles 
 of value, upon which money can be had at the pawn- 
 brokers, and pay an additional sum of Tls. 200. The 
 priests judging from appearances that they can get 
 no more, return to their arduous undertaking with re- 
 doubled zeal ; and, ere the suu sets, the fearful din of 
 gongs and fire creakers, announce to the anxious family 
 that the incarcerated spirit has been set at liberty. 
 (The design of .the great noise of gong and crackers, is 
 to frighten the spirit far away from that horrible pit.) 
 Congratulations are exchanged and the family is re- 
 lieved of much anxiety and a large sum sum of money. 
 This Kung teh may be repeated, if the priests, who are 
 ever on the alert for opportunities, can make the neces- 
 sity of it apparent — as in the case of great affliction in 
 the familv. 
 
 J 
 
One feature of this Rung teh, whether performed 
 by Taoist or Buddhist priests, is worthy of note. The 
 relief afforded an unfortunate prisoner in Chinese pur- 
 gatory is only temporary. They do not profess, for 
 the consideration received, to rescue a person, and re- 
 move him to a place of safety or rest. They only pro- 
 pose to extricate him from present difficulty. Indeed, 
 a heaven, or a place where the good can find protec- 
 tion and be at rest, is not predicated of any of the 
 Chinese systems of religion. They have no heaven 
 presided over by a god of justice and mercy, and there- 
 fore an object of desire, for they have no such official 
 in the world of light. Devils, demons and spirits reign 
 in the spirit world. There is no charity there. Those 
 who are incarcerated in that world must be supported 
 and relieved as men in prisons are in this world — by 
 their friends ; hence the necessity of ancestral worship, 
 and the high estimate placed upon sons. 
 
 Under these circumstances, imagine, if you can, 
 the estimate placed upon an only son, upon whose 
 preservation and fidelity hang the future happiness of 
 his ancestors for five generations. Should he die be- 
 fore he has a male issue, or should he become a Chris- 
 tian, and repudiate ancestral worship, all the ancestors 
 would by that act, be consigned to a state of perpetual 
 beggary. Imagine too, the moral courage required for 
 an only, or the oldest son to become a Christian, and 
 call down upon himself the anathemas, not only of his 
 own family and friends, but of the spirits of alibis 
 own ancestors. I have known an instance, in connec- 
 tion with my work at Shanghai, of a father and mother 
 threatening to take their own lives, by jumping into 
 
37 
 
 the river, to deter their only son, who wished to be- 
 come a Christian. 
 
 For a son to provoke his father to such a degree 
 that he would take his own life, in order to avenge 
 himself, is the highest crime known to Chinese law. 
 The son under such circumstances, being, in law re- 
 garded as his father’s murderer, would suffer the sever- 
 est penalty of the law. In this event, the father would 
 accomplish his end, by having his son disgraced among 
 men, and severely punished in the spirit world ; for, 
 for a man to appear in that world without a head, 
 would be prima facie evidence that he was a bad man, 
 and he would be treated accordingly. Hence, we were 
 able to understand the anxiety evinced by the friends 
 of those officers who, during the Chinese rebellion, were 
 so unfortunate as to lose their heads, to recover them 
 and stitch them on again. I knew officers of the Im- 
 perial army to pay as high as $GGG, for the head of a 
 friend. Thus also, we are able to understand the 
 clemency of a high official, who allows a subordinate, 
 whose decapitation has been ordered, to take or inhale 
 gold leaf, or to choose some other refined and honora- 
 ble way of transporting himself to the spirit world. 
 For the same reason the practice of suspending in 
 public places the heads of decapitated men, is as much 
 designed to inspire fear of severer punishment in the 
 other world, as of the executioner’s knife in this. 
 
 Thus, too we are enabled to understand why the 
 Imperial officials, when Shanghai was evacuated by the 
 rebels, gave orders for the decapitation of every rebel 
 corpse that could be found in the city. And, as there 
 was no difficulty in identifying the coffins of promin- 
 
38 
 
 ent rebel leaders, the skeletons of many were decapi- 
 tated and cast out as a vile thing, and the heavy 
 timbers of the coffins were used for paving the streets, 
 with the view of disgracing them among men, and en- 
 hancing their sufferings in the spirit world. But, one 
 might ask : seeing that interests of such moment hang- 
 upon the life of a son, what becomes of those who have 
 no sons to provide for their necessities in the spirit 
 world ? Well, the priests have discovered a way to 
 provide for this exigency. Persons who have no sons, 
 can remit in advance, and thus provide for themselves. 
 Years ago I learned that the ceremony of remitting 
 money to the Bank of the Spirit world, would be per- 
 formed on a piece of vacant ground near my house. 
 And I went to see it. A boat of about 25 feet long, 
 seven feet wide and five feet deep, having a reed frgme 
 and masts and paper planking and sails, had been tied 
 and pasted together, and placed in the centre of the 
 plot of ground. Many who had no sons, or whose sons 
 were not to be depended upon, brought large quanti- 
 ties of din, which the priests in attendance received, 
 noted the amount or number of shoes of sycee, cast it 
 into the boat, and gave each depositor a written receipt 
 for the amount of his deposit, for which the priests 
 received a certain sum of good money as commissions. 
 When the boat was full and piled up some ten feet or 
 more and no other depositors presented themselves, the 
 priests walked round the boat a few times chanting 
 their incantations, and then set fire to it at both ends, 
 at the same time, and beat a hasty retreat. In a few 
 seconds the boat, with its valuable freight disappeared. 
 The parties who remitted were instructed to take good 
 
39 
 
 care of their certificates of deposit, and to commit them 
 to some friend to burn for them after their death, 
 when they would receive them in the spirit world, 
 where, with these certificates, they could proceed to the 
 bank and draw out their deposits. They then dis- 
 persed, apparently satisfied. 
 
 rv. 
 
 That form of worshiping the dead that is most ob- 
 served by us, may be denominated a public charity. It 
 consists in offerings made, by public contribution, to 
 the poor dead ; or rather, to the spirits of those whose 
 burial places are not known, and consequently cannot 
 be sacrificed to, or, if known, they have no one to sacri- 
 fice to them. There are three of these festivals each 
 year, that are entirely distinct from the worship of 
 one’s own ancestors. One, at ch‘ing ming , one, on the 
 15th of the 7th moon ; and one on the 1st of the 10th 
 moon. These festivals are not of great antiquity, hav- 
 ing been instituted by one of the first emperors of the 
 Ming dynasty, at the close of the 14th or early in the 
 loth century. He, it is said, had, in turbulent times, 
 the misfortune to lose the bodies of his father and mo- 
 ther ; and being grieved at the thought of not being- 
 able to administer to their comfort ; and fearing, lest 
 his apparent neglect of them, might prejudice his good 
 fortune, decreed that all his subjects should sacrifice 
 three times a year to the manes of the lost ones, hop- 
 ing that by the free will offerings of the whole people, 
 the spirits of the lost would be appeased, and the tran- 
 quillity of the realm be secured. While this is the 
 reputed origin of these charities, the mass of the peo- 
 ple have long since lost sight of it, and contribute 
 
40 
 
 mainly to appease the spirits of the thousands who 
 have died in their midst unprovided for, and of whom 
 they stand in great dread. They worship them just as 
 they worship devils or demons, to keep them away. 
 They regard all such, pretty much as they do the liv- 
 ing beggars who come to their doors ; and the sole 
 object in contributing to either is to induce them to 
 leave. Shopmen, who do not wish to be annoyed by 
 the professional beggars, can be exempt, by paying re- 
 gularly in advance,' a certain sum to the king of the 
 beggars, who will place a mark over their doors that 
 is readily understood by all the craft of professionals. 
 Thus the people hope, by contributing, at regular peri- 
 ods to the comfort of the forlorn spirits in the other 
 world, in like manner, to be exempt from annoyance 
 from them. 
 
 Judging from the quantity of paper Sycee parad- 
 ed, with noise of gong, and burned in our street during 
 one of these festivals, one is forced to the conclusion 
 that the Chinese appear to be much more liberal to the 
 dead than they are to the living poor. At each of 
 these festivals, there is a grand parade of the idols of 
 the city. At Shanghai, five of these conservators of 
 the public peace are carried, in large sedans chairs, 
 with imposing processions through all the main streets 
 of the city. The same thing is done in every Hsien , 
 Foo, and Provincial city in the empire. As these pro- 
 cessions are designed for the public good, they are ex- 
 pected to pass through every gate to the city. The 
 retinue and insignia of authority of each dignitary, are 
 an exact counterpart of that of a mandarin of the same 
 rank in the world of light. The sedans are borne by 
 
eight coolies, preceded by the usual corps of criers, lie- 
 tors, gongs, and the bearers of the insignia of authority 
 mounted couriers, &c. ; and followed by the representa- 
 tives of the usual number of advisers, writers, fail car- 
 riers in small sedaus, mounted body guard, &c., &c. 
 Coolies follow bearing long bamboos, on which are sus- 
 pended the contributions, received by the way in din. 
 The procession is followed by many penitents. Among 
 them may be seen females, with hair disheveled and 
 chains about their necks ; men manacled and chains 
 about their necks ; and even small children carried by 
 nurses in the same state of self inflicted punishment. 
 These penitents, — some of whom follow the procession 
 the entire day carrying heavy weights suspended by 
 hooks make fast in the flesh of their fore arms to excite 
 the pity of the gods, have been the subject of some 
 calamity '; and attribute it either to infidelity to their 
 own ancestors, or to the influence of some unknown 
 beggar spirit, and take this method of expressing their 
 penitence before the gods, who are supposed to know 
 the reason why. Every family in the city is expected 
 to contribute, to meet the expense of these festivals, at 
 least one hundred cash (ten cents) in money or din. 
 The wealthy contribute large sums. During several 
 succeeding nights, a deputation of priests from the 
 several city temples, with gong, and a grand procession 
 of lanterns and torch lights, — to attract the attention 
 of the spirits, — and carrying on bamboos the contribu- 
 tions in din, traverse every street, road and alley 
 within the city and its environs, and burn a portion of 
 the din at every crossing of street, road, alley and path ; 
 and at every bridge and jetty ; and along the borders 
 
of the river and canals ; in a word, at every place 
 where they suppose the spirits of those who have no 
 one to sacrifice to them are likely to wander, in search 
 of means of support and comfort. Many persons, 
 knowing that their contributions, if delivered into the 
 hands of those who have charge of the public fund, 
 may not be applied to the object for which they were 
 designed, burn a quantity of din before their own 
 doors, in order that they may be credited with, and 
 secure the full benefit of a contribution to the destitute 
 in the spirit world, &c. As I have said, the distribu- 
 tion of this public charity for the destitute dead takes 
 place three times a year. Those who wish to see it, 
 and verify the above statements can do so, at either of 
 the regular festivals. The amount of money expended 
 annually in the eighteen provinces, in endeavoring, 
 according to the theories of the priests, to appease or 
 keep quiet the millions who have long since passed 
 away, is something astounding. 1 have endeavored to 
 collect some statistics on the subject, which, while I do 
 not claim for them accuracy, may serve as an approxi- 
 mate estimate of the amount of money thus appropriat- 
 ed. The Chinese estimate that in the Shanghai Ilsien, 
 not less than $6,000 are expended in connection with 
 each of the three annual festivals in honor of the dead ; 
 which gives an annual expenditure in this Ilsien of 
 $1 8,000. In the eighteen provinces, there is an aver- 
 age of about ninety Ilsien tx> a province — total 1,620. 
 Some of these Ilsiens spend more in public charity for 
 the dead, and some less, than the Shanghai Ilsien; but 
 taking this as an average, the aggregate annual ex- 
 penditure* in connection with the Ilsien deities will be 
 
$29,100,000. Again, there is said to be an average of 
 eight Foos (Prefects) in each province ; each of which 
 has its Foo-deity. This deity, being of a higher grade, 
 the processions, on these public occasions, are doubtless 
 more expensive than those in connection with the 
 Hsien deities ; but we estimate them at the same. The 
 144 Foos will give an annual expenditure in connection 
 with these deities in honor of the dead of $2,592,000, 
 which, with the amount used in connection with the 
 listen deities, makes an annual aggregate of 
 $31,752,000, expended in public charities for the spirits 
 of those whose burial places are not known, or whose 
 wants are not supplied by their relatives. I make no 
 estimate of the amount annually expended in connec- 
 tion with the processions of the Provincial deities, for 
 I have no data. It is doubtless a large sum. 
 
 But this is not all that is expended for the dead. 
 The amount expended by each family in the worship 
 of its own ancestors must be calculated and added. It 
 is estimated that each family expends in this way an- 
 nually in connection with the worship of its ancestors 
 an average of at least $1,50. With a population of 
 400,000,000, and an average of five persons to a fami- 
 ly, we have 80,000,000 families, and an aggregate of 
 $120,000,000 expended annually in ancestral worship. 
 Add to this the amount of public charities, and we 
 have the enormous sum of $151,752,000, expended 
 annually to quiet the spirits of the dead, while the 
 thousands of beggars who are daily re-inforcing the 
 hosts of invisible enemies, by which the people are dis- 
 quieted, often ask in vain for more than one counter- 
 feit cash. It is evident then, to all who know the 
 
44 
 
 Chinese, that the large amount expended for the dead, 
 is not prompted by a spirit of true charity or, mainly 
 by filial piety ; but by servile fear. The living are the 
 slaves of the dead. Yea, the generation of to-day is 
 chained to the generations of the past; they often keep 
 their coffins in their houses for a fortunate day, and 
 then at great expense, lug them to some distant city, 
 in order to have them where the dead can partake of 
 the family offerings. They look backward instead of 
 forward. They are straitened in mind and action. 
 The subjects and range of their thoughts are circum- 
 scribed to very narrow limits. An original and inde- 
 pendent thinker is an innovator, and stands no chance 
 of promotion to literary honors. Conservatism has 
 been the maxim of the whole people for ages ; hence we 
 find them standing on the defensive against innova- 
 tions ; for these peril their relations with the unseen 
 and much dreaded enemy. No one who understands 
 the working of the Chinese mind, and the motives by 
 which they are actuated, can feel aught but the deep- 
 est sympathy for a people who live in an atmosphere, 
 impregnated with the spirits of past generations, of 
 which they stand in constant dread. And while they 
 dread, they pity them, and in self defense, are ever 
 ready to do what is prescribed to avoid calamity; and, 
 as sickness and calamity never cease to manifest them- 
 selves, the offerings to the dead can never be remitted. 
 Notwithstanding the large amount expended at stated 
 periods for their relief, there are frequent calls for 
 charity between times. Whenever there is much sick- 
 ness of an epidemic form, in a particular locality, the 
 people of that region are told by the priests, that if 
 
 v 
 
45 
 
 they wish to get rid of the spirits, they must invite 
 them to a feast. A pavilion is erected, — in some' cen- 
 tral position — din is cbntributed, and the priests are 
 invited to do three days Kung-teh. This is often a 
 heavy tax upon a village, and surrounding hamlets — 
 the priests being the only parties benefited. 
 
 Again, the people are frequently under the neces- 
 sity of employing the priests to drive the spirits from 
 their dwellings of whose presence they have been 
 made aware by some one acting in the interests of the 
 priests. They come, and after feasting the spirits, and 
 chanting some unintelligible incantations, they drive 
 the spirits out, by thrusting their swords towards the 
 four points of the compass, and place charms over the 
 door, to intimidate them if they should venture to re- 
 turn. These* charms consists of three strips of paper 
 red or yellow, in which are drawn hideous devices well 
 known to the spirits. The people are put to their wit’s 
 end to devise means and ways of guarding against the 
 evil influence of evil spirits. Every bed has a charm 
 in the form of a cash sword, or some other less expen- 
 sive device. The least noise at the window at night, 
 caused by a loose oyster shell or pane of glass shaken 
 by the wind, is taken for the call of a hungry or dis- 
 tressed spirit. To insure a quiet night, the family 
 must make an offering of din without the door. These 
 incidental offering's are often witnessed from boats or on 
 
 O 
 
 the streets about night. The object is to ensure a quiet 
 night. But enough lias been said to prove that the 
 worship of the dead, both by high and low, is the na- 
 tional religion of China ; and that it is, by far, the most 
 formidable obstacle to the introduction of Christianity. 
 
46 
 
 Many of the social and political evils with which 
 this priest stricken land is afflicted, are dictated with 
 reference to the interests of Ancestral Worship. 
 
 1st.- — The betrothal of children at an early age by 
 which so many thousands are made miserable for life. 
 
 2nd. — Polygamy, the fruitful source of so much 
 anguish and death by suicide : — both of which are de- 
 signed to secure the perpetuation of the family, and 
 consequently the perpetuation of the benefits of Ances- 
 tral Worship. 
 
 3rd. — The heavy tax in support of this rite, as 
 per statistics. 
 
 4th. — The loss in an industrial point of view, 
 from the large number of men and women who are 
 constantly engaged in manufacturing the articles re- 
 quired in connection with this worship. It is estimat- 
 ed that a large portion of the females in cities, devote 
 the time not required for domestic duties, to making 
 din and other articles used in worshiping the dead. 
 
 5th. — The aversion of the Chinese to colonize 
 when they emigrate. They fear the consequences of 
 neglecting the tombs of their ancestors. Consequently 
 the country is kept overcrowded. The result, is squa- 
 lidness, vice, thefts, piracy and insurrection. Hence 
 they devour each other while chained to the tombs of 
 their ancestors. 
 
 A careful study of the foregoing theories and prac- 
 tices of the Chinese, in connection with the worship 
 of the dead, will reveal to us the secret of their op- 
 position to Foreigners, and to foreign civilization. To 
 meet our requirements, involves changes that may dis- 
 turb the status quo between men and spirits, and thus 
 prove fatal to the repose and prosperity both of the 
 dead and of the living. The consequence is, they 
 naturally oppose every aggressive movement proposed 
 by foreigners. And when they are forced to yield a 
 point, and sign a treaty granting new facilities for 
 
•17 
 
 trade — and consequently inducing new innovations — 
 they never cease to devise ways and means, to render 
 the most objectionable part of the concession, nugatory. 
 Hence the conservatism of the Chinese ; and the sys- 
 tematic straining of all the treaties that have been 
 made with China. And, so long as they retain their 
 present views and convictions of their relations and 
 obligations to the dead, we need not expect them to 
 observe in good faith, compromising treaty stipulations, 
 unless they are forced to do it. 
 
 Having the diagnosis of the malady with which 
 the nation is afflicted, the great question for the united 
 wisdom of this Conference to solve, is, how are we to 
 correct their views of their relations and obligations to 
 the dead? For we must bear in mind that they are 
 enshrined in the classical literature of the land ; are in- 
 culcated by the Imperial family and by the officials 
 and literati — who dominate the masses — ; are taught 
 in every native school ; and have been acknowledged 
 and practiced, for ages, by every family in the land. 
 How, then, are we to liberate the minds of the millions 
 of this Empire from bondage to the priests and to the 
 dead ! Education will not do it ; for the educated are 
 the teachers of the system of Ancestral worship. Com- 
 merce will not do it, for the Chinese have, for ages, 
 been a commercial people. Science and civilization 
 will not do it ; for the Chinese may be said to be a 
 civilized people; and some of the sciences were introduc- 
 ed by the Jesuits, and adopted by the Peking Govern- 
 ment ages ago. Neither will formal, supplemental 
 or paganized Christianity do it ; that has been tried 
 for centuries, and it has not brought forth the desired 
 fruits. To supplement Christianity, and thereby make 
 it more acceptable to the Chinese, by allowing, or con- 
 niving at any of the customs practiced in the worship 
 of the dead, is to yield everything. The disciple may 
 be with you and render you a perfunctory service, but 
 
48 
 
 liis heart longs for, and delights in, the leeks and onions 
 of Egypt. The end desired by us all, can be accom- 
 plished by nothing short of regeneration ; a change 
 that consists in a complete renovation of heart and life 
 by the Grace of God ; by a complete turning from all 
 superstition, all former objects of worship and fear, and, 
 through the merits of Christ’s death and resurrection, 
 trusting alone in the living and true God. This, and 
 this only, will create in the Chinaman a moral sense, 
 and make him a man of honor and faith. This change 
 cannot be effected without a knowledge of the true 
 God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ ; for, “ it is not 
 by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saitli the 
 Lord.” The blessing of the Holy Spirits upon the pure 
 Gospel, faithfully preached and circulated, is the only 
 power that can enlighten the minds of the Chinese, and 
 lead them to forsake their false and superstitious no- 
 tions about the dead, and incline them to reverence, 
 fear, love and obey, the only living and true God. 
 The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Crhist, then is the only 
 antidote for the woes of China. 
 
 In view of the magnitude of the field, and the 
 character of the millions with whom we have to do — 
 forming a unit on this subject, — do we feel, as we 
 should, the weight of responsibility resting upon us as 
 the ambassadors for Christ to this ancient people ? To 
 us, the Stewards of God, has been committed the word 
 of reconciliation ; “ moreover, it is required in Ste- 
 wards, that a man be found faithful.” 
 
 Let us then, not be satisfied with paganized 
 Christianity; but let us build on the Rock; and re- 
 member that He who said “Go ye therefore, and teach 
 all nations,” said also “ and, lo, 1 am with you always, 
 even unto the end of the world.” 
 

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