Ancestor Veneration in China

Ancestral veneration in Chinese culture (Chinese: 敬祖; pinyin: jìngzǔ) is the practice of living family members who try to provide a deceased family member with continuous happiness and well-being in the afterlife. It is a way of continuing to show respect toward them, and it reinforces the unity of family and lineage. Showing respect to ancestors is an ideology deeply rooted in Chinese society. It is based on the idea of filial piety (孝, xiào) put forth by Confucius. Filial piety is the concept of remaining loyal to parents as their child. It is believed that despite the death of a loved one, the original relationship remains intact, and that the deceased possess more spiritual power than they did during life. In a sense, the ancestors became thought of as deities who had the ability to interact and have an effect on the lives of those still living.

The core belief of ancestor veneration is that there is a continued existence after death. It is thought that the soul of a deceased person is made up of yin and yang components called hun and po. The yin component, po (魄), is associated with the grave, and the yang component, hun (魂), is associated with ancestral tablets . According to this belief, at death the components split into three different souls; the po goes with the body to the grave, one to judgment, and the hun resides in an ancestral tablet. The hun and po are not immortal and need to be nourished; it is the offerings that feed them. Eventually both the hun and po go to the underworld, although the hun goes to heaven first. Unlike in western usages of the term, underworld has no negative connotation.

The state of ancestor veneration in modern-day China is reported to be declining in areas that were more heavily affected by the hostility towards religion under the Communist regime, but higher levels of education appear to be a greater factor. However, in rural areas of China, as well as Taiwan, ancestor worship and its practices can still be commonly found.