About two months after suffering exorbitant fares and bone-crushing crowds to traverse across the country to see families,** the Chinese are now traveling back to their ancestral homes so the men can sweep the graves of the departed, and the women can clean the homes of relatives. As far as I understand, both genders will spend wads of REAL cash to buy FAKE cash that will subsequently be burned as an appeasement to dead relatives who want wealth in the afterlife.
A friend of ours who recently visited nearby Fujian province was shocked to encounter vendors selling effigies of BMWs and women. Turns out, the departed in Fujian not only want cash, but also luxury cars and mistresses in the Great Beyond! I won’t even expound on my opinions of equating women with cars, or the symbolism of burning them. I can only hope cars in the next life have horns that are a little more soothing to the ear.
I haven’t noticed many changes around Hangzhou for Qing Ming—no distinctive decorations, and no especially significant changes in the flow of people. From what I hear, most Hangzhou residents view this holiday merely as a time to pay their respects, and don't necessarily expect any blessings in return from their ancestors. Yet there must be a few folks around here who are reaching out to the next life for a little love in this one. There's been a trickle of men in saffron orange robes and shaved heads walking (and sometimes driving commercial trucks) out and about—they don the garb of monks, but as one Old China Hand has assured me, they are just as likely to be con artists as earnestly faithful practitioners. I’ve heard stories of monks decked out with Apples (i.e. of the technological sort) who gain affluence by selling blessings to people also seeking such prosperity. I suppose frauds are found in every faith system.
I’ve also been thinking this week of the coincidence of Qing Ming falling during Holy Week. I’m not sure if this happens every year or not (I’m guessing not, but I’m open to the input of other readers who are more familiar with Chinese culture :). But this year, the quirky timing of these observances has led me to reflect on the search for salvation. From what sources do we seek our identity and well-being? In the realms of the living and the dead, where will we find peace and wholeness? What can we expect from those who have gone before us? How is the tomb of a man from Nazareth the same, and how is it different, from the tombs of our ancestors? These questions have rumbled in my mind the past few days. Perhaps some locals are also pondering similar thoughts in their own context.
*I imagine it may be nearly impossible to tan, or even sunburn, in this part of China (though the Chinese make sure this doesn’t happen with their ubiquitous parasols). Between the high amounts of rain and thick pollution, I rarely find my skin bearing witness to any exposure to the sun. The fact we’ve had sun AND clear skies lately is quite a rare (and welcome) feature! :)
**I was initially tempted to wonder why holidays so close to each other would require travel back home until I remembered Thanksgiving and Christmas. While it is of course worth the effort to travel to see family (!), I don't envy the Chinese for the hassle and crowds they have to deal with—makes Thanksgiving airport traffic look tame!