Life and death in China Part Two: Qingming - Grave sweeping festival

Funeral wreath 

Qingming picnic in Yunnan ©Ingrid Booz Morejohn

Death is as significant as life and today is a very important day in China, it is Qingmingjie 清明节 - the Clear Brightness Festival or as it is more widely known in English the Grave Sweeping Festival. Qingming falls 104 days after the Winter solstice (usually April 4th-5th) and is the time to honor the dead and reestablish contact with families members who have passed away. It is deeply rooted in the strong family ties and family values that exist in Chinese culture. Where ever there is a grave or gravesite, today is the day to visit, clean away old flowers, weeds and rubbish, light incense and candles, commune with the dead - even eat a meal beside the grave, letting the dead eat a favourite dish too or maybe even drink a symbolic glass of baijiu or smoke a cigarette, whatever they might have preferred in the past. Paper money (joss) is burnt and firecrackers are set off - not only to scare away unwanted spirits that might be lurking around the grave but also to announce that you have arrived and want to show your respect. Triple kowtows are made on the ground and time is spent speaking with the family members and ancestors that no longer share this existence: you should inform them of what has happened in the family during the past twelve months, how everyone is doing but also telling them not to worry too much about those still alive, you might even like to ask a piece of advice or two. The traditional and superstitious  feel that if this ritual is not performed then the spirits have the  power to wreak havoc in your life. It is maybe no coincidence that Qingming, the day to honor the dead, is also a day when spring, rejuvenation (time to start planting crops) and young love is also honoured. 

I'm sure for many in Sichuan today their thoughts will be turned toward the dead who all share the same day of death: May 12th, 2008.

Qingming has existed since the Tang Dynasty but it was only in 2008 that it yet again became an official public holiday in China, the first time since 1949. Do not confuse Qingming with the Ghost Festival (Guijie) which comes later in the year or the Double Ninth Festival (Chongyangjie) which is another day where the dead are honoured and graves are cleaned up. In Vietnam Qingming is called Tet. For more about Chinese festivals and traditions read: Kinesiska symboler och På kinesiskt vis.

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Tibetan monk, Tagong, Sichuan 2007 ©Ingrid Booz Morejohn

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Dragon Boat Festival, Funan River, Chengdu June 6, 2007 ©Ingrid Booz Morejohn

As much as I feel sorry for the duck I feel good about this picture. I'm very satisfied with it: Great lighting, action, humor (sick humor), emotion and composition. So why is the guy in the water strangling a duck? The annual Dragon Boat Festival is held on the Funan River here in Chengdu. At the very end after the dragon boats have competed there are humorous competitions like tug-of-war until the loser boat sinks and....a number of ducks are released (actually thrown up into the air)...and whoever catches them first gets to keep them. Most of the ducks looked quite shellshocked (or dead) when they were finally man-handled to shore. An unhappy ending to a very good day.

Lantern Festival: Tangyuan sticky rice balls

©Agencies/Chinadaily.com.cn

Found this wonderful image of a factory worker making glutinous rice balls (tangyuan) in a workshop in Nanjing, Jiangsu on the China Daily website today. Tangyuan (also called yuanxiao) have sweet or salty fillings and are eaten on the Lantern Festival on the last day of the Chinese New Year, which this year falls tomorrow February 9th, 2009. Shops and stores are full of bags of them, displacing ice cream and other frozen items in the iceboxes. When I first saw them I thought they were fishballs. Remember when eating them - they're not called sticky for nothing!

Tagong and Tibetan areas of Western Sichuan

Tagong, Sichuan, China All photos ©Ingrid Booz Morejohn

Sichuan province has an extremely varied geography, both physical and cultural. The Tibetan area of Sichuan, which covers roughly one-third of the province can easily be reached within one-two days from Chengdu, depending on the area you visit. Due to the general high altitude of these areas I strongly recommend taking it easy in your ascent and slowly acclimatizing. All of these pictures were taken around Tagong, west and over the Zheduo Pass (Zheduo La) from Kangding. There is a newly built and recently opened airport in this area but I highly recommend going overland (either by car or bus) from Chengdu to Kangding (spending one night) and then the next day passing over the Zheduo La and proceeding on to Tagong. In this way you will also be able to fully appreciate the incredible transitional landscape between "China" and "Tibet". If you are lucky you will happen on a festival or celebration. Otherwise, most days bring ample opportunity to see stunning landscape, blue skies, local culture and large doses of Tibetan spirituality, courtesy and hospitality.