#paper replicas

[orientallyyours]

Examples of paper offerings meant to be burned during traditional Chinese funeral ceremonies such as the Qing Ming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day), as a way of paying respect and presenting gifts to ancestors. These paper effigies often represented objects, animals, or people that gave the deceased pleasure and comfit in life, such as tech gadgets, dogs, clothing, money, food, and even a rice-cooker!

Sources: The Straits Times, Church

[orientallyyours]

Some of the images from Hong Kong artist Kurt Tong’s photographic series, “In Case it Rains in Heaven” (2009) that documented joss paper offerings in China, burned for the deceased. These offerings may be gold or silver spirit money, and in the last 50 years reflected the growth of consumerism in China with paper replicas of elaborate items such as cars, servants, houses, dentures, fans, iPhones, etc. All items in Tong’s works were burnt as offerings to his ancestors (watch video).

Sources: Kurt Tong’s website, Jen Bekman Gallery, Hyperallergic