164
OLD CHINESE GRAVES FROM
THE TSUEN WAN DISTRICT OF HONG KONG'S NEW TERRITORIES
JAMES HAYES
'The geomantic name for the location of my ancestral grave is 'Fish Land. It is a good fung-shui as it made my father into a rich man.'
Introduction
'How very evocative these old things are!', my wife's mother observed one day, after we had gone over together the Chinese texts of some of the letters and inscriptions pertaining to old graves retrieved from my service in the Tsuen Wan District of the New Territories between 1975-1982. I was glad that she shared my delight with these materials which, together with much else from the period, have been the mainstay of my interest in Chinese cultural life as it used to be in country districts.
In the course of researching the popular culture of traditional China, it would not be possible to ignore one particularly important element: the beliefs and way of thinking regarding ancestral graves. These comprise, in particular, the filial responsibilities of descendants towards the grave and the ancestor buried in it, the belief that neglect of these services would bring harm to the living family members; and the ever-present fear that the fung-shui of the grave could change for the worse, and damage fortunes of the descendants.
The local hillsides on the mainland and islands parts of the district still contain thousands of traditional, horseshoe-shaped Chinese graves. Each possesses an inscribed tablet with texts of varying length, all giving basic details of the deceased such as name, sex, and date of burial. The graves of members of wealthier families sometimes give a good deal more information. The graves are not found everywhere, however, since geomancy has dictated their siting in practically every case and obviously the configuration of some places is considered to be more auspicious than others. Consequently, though the graves are generally scattered, many are to be found crowded together in favoured locations where the fung-shui was considered to be especially auspicious.
164
OLD CHINESE GRAVES FROM
THE TSUEN WAN DISTRICT OF HONG KONG'S NEW TERRITORIES
JAMES HAYES
The geomantic name for the location of my ancestral grave is 'Fish Land. It is a good fung-shui as it made my father into a rich man.'
Introduction
'How very evocative these old things are!", my wife's mother observed one day, after we had gone over together the Chinese texts of some of the letters and inscriptions pertaining to old graves retrieved from my service in the Tsuen Wan District of the New Territories between 1975-1982. I was glad that she shared my delight with these materials which, together with much else from the period, have been the mainstay of my interest in Chinese cultural life as it used to be in country districts.2
In the course of researching the popular culture of traditional China, it would not be possible to ignore one particularly important element: the beliefs and way of thinking regarding ancestral graves. These comprise, in particular, the filial responsibilities of descendants towards the grave and the ancestor buried in it, the belief that neglect of these services would bring harm to the living family members; and the ever- present fear that the fùng-shui of the grave could change for the worse, and damage fortunes of the descendants.
The local hillsides on the mainland and islands parts of the district still contain thousands of traditional, horseshoe-shaped Chinese graves. Each possesses an inscribed tablet with texts of varying length, all giving basic details of the deceased such as name, sex, and date of burial. The graves of members of wealthier families sometimes give a good deal more information. The graves are not found everywhere, however, since geomancy has dictated their siting in practically every case and obviously the configuration of some places is considered to be more auspicious than others. Consequently, though the graves are generally scattered, many are to be found crowded together in favoured locations where the fung-shui was considered to be especially auspicious.'
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