Social life of the Chinese : with some account of their religious, governmental, educational and business customs and opinions, with special but not exclusive reference to Fuhchau . lighted, the offerings are arranged on the altaror before the tomb-stone. They consist of different kinds offood, such as pork, fish, fowl, cake, vegetables, etc., severalcups of wine and tea. The chief manager, who is the head ofthe family if living, kneels down, and bows his head near theground three times. He then resumes standing, and the oth-ers, one by one, go through the same ceremony. A quantityof mock-mone
Social life of the Chinese : with some account of their religious, governmental, educational and business customs and opinions, with special but not exclusive reference to Fuhchau . lighted, the offerings are arranged on the altaror before the tomb-stone. They consist of different kinds offood, such as pork, fish, fowl, cake, vegetables, etc., severalcups of wine and tea. The chief manager, who is the head ofthe family if living, kneels down, and bows his head near theground three times. He then resumes standing, and the oth-ers, one by one, go through the same ceremony. A quantityof mock-money, varying from one hundred to a thousandsheets, is then burned, and fire-crackers are exploded. Thecontents of one of the wine-cups are poured out on this paperas it is burning, or on the hot ashes just after the paper hasbeen consumed. The cup is then refilled with wine, andplaced in its former position. The head man now kneelsagain, and makes the triple bow; and after him, in turn, oneby one, from the highest in rank down to the lowest, all re-peat the same ceremony of kneeling and bowing. 46 ESTABLISHED ANNUAL CUSTOMS AND FESTIVALS. ^fli \%, 1- • ? J t --l£f ?.31. About this stage of the proceedings an offering is made tothe local deity, or the god which is believed to preside overthe hill where the grave is located. It is composed usuallyof three dishes of food, three cups of wine, two candles, threeincense-sticks, and three sets -of a particular kind of mock-money. These are all placed on the ground, not far from thetomb-stone. The candles and the sticks of incense are lighted,and the mock-money burned amid the sound of fire-crackers. Then an offering is made to the spirits of beggars and lep- OTHER CEREMONIES BEFORE THE ANCESTRAL TOMBS. 47 ers, and others in the lower regions. It consists, in part, ofone hundred and forty-four small whitish cakes made of theflour of wheat, in the middle of which is a little boiled rice (thetop of each being stamped with a red circular
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