Chinese Attitudes towards death
Throughout the history of mankind, "death" has always been a fascination. People have always wondered about the causes of death, the aftermath of death, and whether it could be stopped. Among these people were the Chinese, who like many other people, believed there was life after death. They performed certain rituals " to help them along their way." Chinese attitudes toward death are reflected in funerary rituals, Buddhist philosophy and reverence for the deceased.Death is a very important issue to the Chinese people. The son of a family has the obligation to give his parents a proper funeral. "This includes such essential elements as; a large coffin, a funeral procession, a well-chosen gravesite, gifts and offerings to the soul of the deceased, a period of mourning, and keeping an ancestral shrine. If a Chinese son fails to follow these obligations, he has committed a serious offense against society."1 The Chinese believed in giving a proper funeral to their elders because when the elders were alive, they had shared their experiences and knowledge with the young. The Chinese followed the requirements to a proper funeral because they believed in remembering the dead, who were once close to them. They wanted to remem
Even though dying means losing some one close in this world, the Chinese will always celebrate deaths, because only through death, can you be one step closer to nirvana. "The funeral pyre is usually sprinkled with consecrated oil and other offerings wrapped in white scarves. 6Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism influence Chinese attitudes towards death. Although burial in a coffin is preferred, cremations also take place. The matchmaker and the geomancer also have to ensure that the matches and graves that they choose will only bring good luck to the families and not bad luck. The Chinese also believe in spirits and ghosts. It is an offense to wear such flashy colors as red, yellow, or green. The son of a family has the obligation to give his parents a proper funeral. The Chinese followed the requirements to a proper funeral because they believed in remembering the dead, who were once close to them. Since the people living in the rural areas are farmers who can provide their own necessities and are independent of the government, they are more concerned with their traditional beliefs and practices than the concerns of the government. To some people being buried in a coffin is so important that they rather spend their money on a coffin than on necessary provisions.
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