94
JOSS STICK MANUFACTURING:
A STUDY OF A TRADITIONAL INDUSTRY IN HONG KONG
CHAN KA YAN
Introduction
Ancestral worship is one of the most significant customs in the lives of the Chinese. Respect for the dead links one intimately with the past which, in turn, is believed to be an integral part of the present. Among the Chinese, filial piety for the dead usually requires the burning of joss sticks. Burning joss sticks is not only an essential part of the rituals of devotion to the ancestors, it is also indispensable to the worship of the Gods and at occasional feasts such as Chinese New Year, Ch'ing-ming, Chung-yang, and on every first and fifteenth day of the Lunar Calendar. Indeed, to "worship with incense" is a traditional activity that most Chinese regard as being both proper and, indeed, essential.
Within Hsin-an County, the significance of the joss stick was more than merely religious. The joss stick industry in fact stimulated the early economic prosperity of the Hong Kong region. The origin of the joss stick industry in the Hong Kong region can be dated as early as the late Ming Dynasty when incense trees were cultivated and trade in incense wood prospered. Even today, the joss stick industry still preserves its traditional character intact. Despite one or two machines having been adopted to facilitate the production of incense coils, the manufacture of joss sticks has remained a traditional handicraft. The employment of primitive tools, the choice of raw materials, and the end products themselves all seem to transcend the time barrier. This article aims at studying the evolution of the industry in Hong Kong, its development and its integrity under the pressure of technological development.
Technical terms used in the industry, and place names in China are given in Wade-Giles. Place names in Hong Kong follow the form given in the Gazetteer. The measures used convert to metric measurements as in the following table:
94
JOSS STICK MANUFACTURING:
A STUDY OF A TRADITIONAL INDUSTRY IN HONG KONG
CHAN KA YAN
Introduction
Ancestral worship is one of the most significant customs in the lives of the Chinese. Respect for the dead links one intimately with the past which, in turn, is believed to be an integral part of the present. Among the Chinese, filial piety for the dead usually requires the burning of joss sticks. Burning joss sticks is not only an essential part of the rituals of devotion to the ancestors, it is also indispensable to the worship of the Gods and at occasional feasts such as Chinese New Year, Ch'ing-ming, Chung-yang, and on every first and fifteenth day of the Lunar Calendar. Indeed, to "worship with incense" is a traditional activity that most Chinese regard as being both proper and, indeed, essential.
Within Hsin-an County, the significance of the joss stick was more than merely religious. The joss stick industry in fact stimulated the early economic prosperity of the Hong Kong region. The origin of the joss stick industry in the Hong Kong region can be dated as early as the late Ming Dynasty when incense trees were cultivated and trade in incense wood prospered. Even today, the joss stick industry still preserves its traditional character intact. Despite one or two machines having been adopted to facilitate the production of incense coils, the manufacture of joss sticks has remained a traditional handicraft. The employment of primitive tools, the choice of raw materials, and the end products themselves all seem to transcend the time barrier. This article aims at studying the evolution of the industry in Hong Kong, its development and its integrity under the pressure of technological development.
Technical terms used in the industry, and place names in China are given in Wade-Giles. Place names in Hong Kong follow the form given in the Gazetteer. The measures used convert to metric measurements as in the following table:
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