A dying Chinese custom

human warmth 人情味

魏

The Chinese have been famous for the genuine human warmth that they extend to strangers (人情味). This kind of special treatment reveals itself most clearly in the traditional market places where the venders would give the customers green onions or hot peppers as special bonuses in order to ensure that the customers would return in the future.

However, the arrival of supermarkets and discount warehouses has gradually taken away the business of traditional markets. Fewer and fewer people now go to traditional markets to do their daily shopping; instead, the whole family would drive out to the big warehouses and shop for a whole week』s need. As members of the younger generation get used to the efficiency and quick service of the supermarkets, they would surely stay away from the traditional market. Consequently, the old way of selling things, with warm chats and friendship, is now finding fewer and fewer clients. It is little wonder that old-fashioned human warmth has gradually given way to the demand for efficiency. As the traditional market dies, so does the warmth between people.

lantern festival 中秋節

珍

I would like to talk about a festival that still exists, but its original and traditional features have been changed.

The festival carries a fascinating legend. People say that God once wanted to punish people by burning them to death because they had made serious mistakes. Fortunately, a fairy with a kind heart told people about this possible disaster and people searched for solutions. Someone suggested that they carry lanterns and set off fireworks. On the fifteenth of the first moon as God looked down from heaven, he saw there were red lights everywhere and thought that people were all burning. Because of that, people saved their lives and their fortunes. That's why everyone carries the lantern in order to commemorate this day. 

I remember when I was a child, my neighbors and I would use milk powder cans to make our own lanterns. We would punch several holes on the surface of the can in order to let the candle light pass through. Then, we put a candle in the can and used wires and chopsticks to make a handle. When night came, everyone carried his lantern to explore the dark alleys. That was an unforgettable experience for me. 

However, the traditional man-made lanterns have become the plastic and electric ones, and the Lantern Festival has become much more commercialized in recent years as well. Fancy lanterns on display at lantern shows have replaced the home made ones in our own little hands. The Lantern Festival is no longer the traditional one and the lantern has become a tool that the merchants use to make money. I think it's really a pity that the original and traditional features are disappearing little by little.

burning wang-yeh boats 燒王船 
嫻

Every three years, there is a special ceremony held in Keelung where a boat loaded with offerings and paper money would be set on fire and pushed out to sea to burn. The tradition dates back to Ching dynasty a hundred years ago. It is said that Wang-Ye was in charge of the diseases and disasters in man's world. People believed that the plague would never die out unless Wang-Ye went away. Thus a boat was constructed for Wang-Ye and was pushed out to the sea to appeal for blessings. Perhaps because of the high expenses involved in building a boat, people began burning Wang-Ye boats made of paper instead. And since most of the local youths have gone off to work in big cities, the plague also disappeared. Now the ceremony is seldom held with solemnity. 

The Calligraphy 中國書法

苓 

The calligraphy is a special form of writing for Chinese characters, mostly done with a Chinese writing brush dipped in ink. The art was developed in the Shang Dynasty and is now more than four thousand years old. As time passes, it has developed into five variations: they are the standard script, the running script, the cursive script, the clerical script, and the seal script. All of them are regarded as artistic expressions of the calligrapher.

When I was a child, my parents sent me to a special class to learn calligraphy. They kept asking me to practice it because they believe mastering the art of calligraphy can help me produce beautiful handwriting. Later on in elementary school and junior high school, we must hand in one whole page of calligraphic exercise per week. At that time, calligraphy was considered an important skill that children have to learn.
Today, along with the popularity of computers, writing is increasingly done by punching in on the keyboard instead of holding any kind of real pen. Teachers and parents value computer knowledge much more than the art of calligraphy. As a result, people care less and less about calligraphy, which has now become no more than a simple hobby enjoyed by only a few people. It is very sad to witness the death of such a wonderful tradition.　

fengshui 風水

靈

The declining Chinese custom I wanna talk about is Fengshui.

Fengshui, a special ancient Chinese tradition in architecture, has to do with the whole process of site selection, architectural design, construction, and interior and exterior decoration. The Chinese believe there is a close relationship between how we construct our living environment and the destiny that we will lead in our lives. The essence of Fengshui is Qi（氣）, understood as a general ambiance, or to use an analogy from the popular movie "Star Wars," Qi is the life force. As a philosophy and a practical art, Fengshui combines the trinity of Heaven, Earth and humans, creating a harmony between the selected site, the orientation, the natural doctrine, and human fate. What fengshui practitioners seek is to build up the most auspicious Qi by using five basic elements: dragon, cave, sand, water and orientation. If you examine ancient buildings, you can easily find the presence of these elements. The Imperial Palace in Beijing is the best example. 

Nowadays, the influence from western styles of architecture has led most people to consider beauty and coziness as the most important qualities of their living quarters. It seems that the politicians are the only ones who still practice Fengshui fervently, for they link the ups and downs of their political life directly to Fengshui. The interesting thing is: while the custom of fengshui is on the decline here, it's coming in vogue in the Western World.　

Chinese New Year 新年習俗

儀

The New Year is the most important and meaningful festival for the Chinese people. The celebration runs from December 24th to January 5th on the lunar calendar. During this period of time, we follow many traditional customs, including purchasing the supplies needed, paying courtesy calls to our relatives and friends, posting the Spring Festival couplets over the door, having a luxuriant dinner on New Year's eve, staying up all night gambling, and getting the lucky-money red envelopes from our parents. 

But in recent years, some of these traditions have been on the decline. For example, people think that the Spring Festival couplets are inconvenient and will smear the appearance of the door, so fewer and fewer people want to buy them. And because modern people prefer light foods and healthy lifestyles, staying up and having a big meal seem not to be such a good idea. Furthermore, we don't get as many red envelopes as before. According to my mom, since our relatives will reciprocate the same amount to us, it's a little silly to exchange these envelopes.

Obviously, our New Year customs are becoming less and less valued. Personally, I don't like this trend at all. I think that people should respect our old traditions as we pursue a modern way of life. I hope this trend could be reversed, because these established customs have indispensable functions and are the bases of our culture. It is on this foundation that we create the future, so we should take our traditional customs as an honor! 

Chinese New Year Is Dying 新年習俗

蓓 

The idea of the Chinese New Year used to bring up a lot of warm images. On new year's eve, the whole family would gather to have a big feast and parents would give children spending money in red envelopes for good luck. On new year's day, adults and kids would put on brand new clothes and happily visit their friends and relatives. While the adults chatted in the house, children would set off firecrackers in the yard.

But now, people no longer see the Chinese New Year this way. Feasts can be enjoyed everyday of the year, and new clothes can be bought any time you feel like them. Firecrackers are banned because they may cause fires. Chinese new year is now just like any other holiday, a time when people travel to get away from all the hustle and bustle.

Most important of all, Chinese New Year used to be a time to thank the gods and ancestors for blessing the family with a safe year. People would prepare candies and sacrifices and burn incense to show their gratitude. But nowadays, people are no longer grateful for what they have. This, I think, is the biggest problem with the death of the Chinese New Year.

Dragonboat festival 端午節
貞

Among the four Chinese traditional festivals, the dragon-boat festival, which falls on May 5th, is the most interesting. The origin of this festival was to mark the arrival of summer, but when we mention this summer festival, eating 粽子 and rowing dragon-boats instantly come to mind because it's also a day to remember a great ancient poet.

When I was a child, I remember every family would put two plants--known as艾草and菖蒲--on their front door. This is because, according the Chinese lunar calendar, from this day on, spring is really over and the season turns into summer. As we know, once the weather becomes hot, all kinds of vermin are out on the ground and can easily make people get sick. In the past, two medicinal herbs, 艾草and菖蒲, were used to keep away the insects that may spread diseases. 
Proverb or customs are the result of our ancestor's experiences and wisdom. As the function of these wise experiences was replaced by the development of modern medicine little by little, the tradition loses its usefulness and it dies slowly.