Chinese Beliefs and Superstitions

I saw lots of examples of Chinese beliefs and superstitions in Sichuan.

I would consider the Chinese a superstitious lot of people. This is particularly true of older Chinese.

Younger Chinese are less inclined to follow these beliefs as they become exposed to the modern Western world.

There is a lot of belief in things like lucky and unlucky numbers, fortune tellers, feng shui and the spirits of deceased relatives.

It is quite interesting how some beliefs influence arrangements (for example the date of the Beijing Olympics)and the way people live.

Chinese Numbers

The reason is that the pronunciation of 4 (Si pronounced something like "sur") sounds very much like the word for death.

You might find a hotel without a 4th floor or a product line without a series 4. For example, Nokia mobiles went from a series 3 to a series 5 product range. Critical if China and Asia is an important market for you.

In fact many numbers symbolise something good or bad. Product numbers, telephones numbers and license plates sometimes are created with specific numbers to bring good luck.

The number 8 is a lucky number. It sounds like the word "prosper". Also, turned on its side it represents the infinity symbol - which means "forever".

The Beijing Olympics opened on the 8/8/08 at 8.08 pm - not a coincidence!

Fortune Tellers

They use a variety of methods - such as analysing writing, or asking questions such as birth dates and times.

Many Chinese I met had a basic knowledge of palm reading - and they were only too happy to read my palm.

Ancestor Worship

This spirit needs to be nourished so offerings such as food and other items are made to the deceased.

In April, the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday is for cleaning and nourishing relatives' graves.

Feng Shui

Things like where the best place to live (considering things like geography), colours and astrology are taken into account.

People try to create the best environment for them to live or work in by consulting Feng Shui experts.

Red

You will see a lot of red in clothing and jewelry, and decorations, particularly during the Chinese New Year.

Chinese legend has it that a long time ago a monster called Nian terrorized a village at the time of the new moon about twelve months apart at the time what is now the Chinese New Year.

The villagers tried to placate the monster by giving it food.

One time the monster seemed to be scared away by the colour red of some clothing.

So red became a lucky colour.

You will see lots of red in Sichuan - red envelopes for giving gifts, red lanterns, red decorations and red clothing. Red is for good luck in Chinese beliefs.

It is worth knowing something about Chinese beliefs.

For example, give a Chinese friend a gift. Giving them money in a red envelope is common and appreciated. Your gesture will be well received!