Ashes of the after death: the tangible and intangible heritage of bamboo-paper ritual objects

Abstract

When it comes to ritual ceremonies like Qing Ming, Chong Yang, Yu Lan, one will see all kinds of fascinating ritual paper offerings, ranging from the traditional to fashionable-living necessities, even though the recipients are dead. The types of ritual paper offerings can be categorized into paper materials (joss paper), bamboo-paper objects (traditional crafts), and non-bamboo framed objects (contemporary crafts). Though the life of these ritual paper objects is very short, because they are burned soon after they are made, they are designed and crafted in a very unique way.

The topic of ritual paper objects is a very interesting one; however, it has hitherto received little scholarly attention from a heritage conservation perspective. It is found that a large body of literature mentions ritual paper objects in the context of the funeral ceremony. Building on the existing studies, this dissertation will demonstrate and recognize the cultural significance of the art and craft of bamboo-paper objects in Chinese culture with reference to the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), and thereby suggest ways for safeguarding this traditional craftsmanship.