View source for Joss paper

{{Short description|Sheets of paper made into burnt offerings in Chinese culture}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| image = StacksofJossPaper.jpg
| caption = Traditional joss paper (金紙) sold in stacks at a store
| order = ts
| t = 金紙
| s = 金纸
| p = jīnzhǐ
| l = gold paper
| t2 = 陰司紙
| s2 = 阴司纸
| p2 = yīnsīzhǐ
| j2 = jam1 si1 zi2
| l2 = netherworld paper
| t3 = 紙錢
| s3 = 纸钱
| p3 = zhǐqián
| j3 = zi2 cin4*2
| l3 = paper money
| t4 = 冥幣
| s4 = 冥币
| p4 = míng bì
| l4 = shade/dark money
| qn = tiền vàng mã <br/>tiền âm phủ <br/>đồ mã
| hn = 錢鐄𦄀 <br/>錢陰府 <br/>圖𦄀
}}
'''Joss paper''', also known as '''incense papers''', are [[papercraft]]s or sheets of paper made into burnt offerings common in [[Chinese ancestral worship]] (such as the [[Veneration of the dead#China|veneration of the deceased family members and relatives]] on holidays and special occasions). Worship of [[Shen (Chinese religion)|deities]] in [[Chinese folk religion]] and the Vietnamese [[Lên đồng]] ritual also uses a similar type of joss paper. Joss paper, as well as other [[papier-mâché]] items, are also burned or buried in various Asian funerals, "to ensure that the spirit of the deceased has sufficient means in the [[afterlife]]". In Taiwan alone, the annual revenue that temples received from burning joss paper was US$400 million (NT$13 billion) as of 2014.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3024603|title=Monks gone wild: Fast and furious nuns, monks peering at porn|last=Everington|first=Keoni|date=2016-11-08|newspaper=[[Taiwan News]]|access-date=2016-11-17}}</ref>

==Use==
{{see also|Chinese festivals}}
{{more footnotes needed|section|date=March 2013}}

Spirit money is most often used for venerating those departed but has also been known to be used for other purposes such as a gift from a groom's family to the bride's ancestors. Spirit money has been said to have been given for the purpose of enabling their deceased family members to have all they will need or want in the afterlife. It has also been noted that these offerings have been given as a bribe to [[Yanluo Wang]] to hold their ancestors for a shorter period of time.

Venerating the ancestors is based on the belief that the spirits of the dead continue to dwell in the natural world and have the power to influence the fortune and fate of the living. The goal of ancestor worship is to ensure the ancestor's continued well-being and positive disposition towards the living and sometimes to ask for special favours or assistance. Rituals of ancestor worship most commonly consist of offerings to the deceased to provide for their welfare in the afterlife which is envisioned to be similar to the earthly life. The burning of spirit money enables the ancestor to purchase luxuries and necessities needed for a comfortable afterlife.

<gallery mode="nolines" widths="200" heights="140">
File:Burning fake money.JPG|Woman burning joss papers in front of her house in [[Hanoi]] after offering food to her ancestors
File:銀紙.jpg|Joss paper of the silver variety being folded for burning
File:金紙.jpg|Joss paper folded and ready to be burned as an offering
</gallery>
Many temples have large [[Furnace (central heating)|furnace]]s outside the main gate to burn joss paper. Folding the paper is an essential part of the burning ceremony as it distinguishes joss paper from actual money; and, it provides good luck for those who fold it. Burning actual money would be untenable for most people, and is also considered unlucky in Asian cultures. The Joss paper may be folded into specific shapes which are meant to bring on good luck and people tend to burn lavish amounts to ensure that the offering is well received.

People burn joss paper during many occasions, e.g., [[Lunar New Year]], [[Ghost Festival]], [[Mid-Autumn Festival]], [[Dongzhi Festival|Dongzhi]] ([[Winter solstice]]), [[Qingming Festival]], [[Chongyang Festival]], [[Dragon Boat Festival]],<ref name="Storm.mg 2023 z524">{{cite web | title=2023地基主怎麼拜？祭拜方位、準備供品、最佳時間一次看，命理師加碼「開運小祕訣」-風傳媒 | website=Storm.mg | date=23 Oct 2023 | url=https://www.storm.mg/lifestyle/4166506 | language=zh-hant | access-date=25 Dec 2023}}</ref> [[Hanyi Festival]],<ref name="j644">{{cite web | title=十月初一寒衣節 傳統三大鬼節之一 | website=Yahoo News | date=29 Oct 2021 | url=https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E5%8D%81%E6%9C%88%E5%88%9D-%E5%AF%92%E8%A1%A3%E7%AF%80-%E5%82%B3%E7%B5%B1%E4%B8%89%E5%A4%A7%E9%AC%BC%E7%AF%80%E4%B9%8B-151521533.html | language=zh | access-date=16 Apr 2025}}</ref> Tin Hau Festival,<ref name=hkmemoryTHF>{{cite web | title=Collections, Tin Hau Festival, So Ku Wan | website=Hong Kong Memory | url=https://www.hkmemory.hk/MHK/collections/tin_hau/All_Items/8259/8263/index_5.html | access-date=21 Apr 2025}}</ref> etc.

Every fifteen days business owners in Taiwan burn spirit money in red [[brazier]]s and set out offering tables on the sidewalk for both gods and ghosts. This coincides with an ancient calendar system divided into twenty-four fifteen-day periods.{{Specify|reason=Multiple such systems exist. Does this refer to the jieqi?|date=September 2023}}

A simplified modern Chinese offering is made by drawing a circle with chalk on the sidewalk or the pavement between residential buildings and burning the paper offering within the circle. This is quite common in all Chinese cities and villages today.

Due to environmental concerns, some contemporary [[Joss paper burner]]s are now fitted with a special cover which eliminates the spread of burning [[ash]]es. The cover allows enough oxygen in to ensure that {{citation needed span|all of the offering are completely burned.|date=February 2024}}

Spirit money is most commonly burned, but may also be offered by being held into the wind or placed into the deceased's coffin at [[funeral ceremonies]].

Depending on the type and status of the deity being worshiped, paper with [[metal foil]] or with [[ink seal]]s of various sizes may be burned. Different regions of the world have different preferences for the type of Joss paper that is used. For instance, Hell Bank Notes are commonly found in regions where [[Cantonese]] populations dominate but are rarely seen or used in places such as [[Taiwan]] or [[Macau]], which use "gold paper". The Joss paper is folded in half, or bought pre-folded into the shape of gold [[ingot]]s before being burned in an earthenware pot or a specially built [[chimney]]. Joss paper burning is usually the last performed act in Chinese deity or ancestor worship ceremonies. The papers may also be folded and stacked into elaborate [[pagoda]]s or [[Nelumbo|lotuses]].

In [[Taoist]] rituals, the practice of offering joss paper to deities or ancestors is an essential part of the worship. Some [[Chinese Buddhist]] temples, such as [[Singapore Buddhist Lodge]] in [[Singapore]] and all [[Fo Guang Shan]] affiliated temples in [[Taiwan]] have discouraged offering of joss papers during ancestral worship in their [[ancestral tablet]] hall out of concern for the environmental [[pollution]].

===Western countries===
Shops selling joss paper goods have been established in Western countries – such as the USA or the United Kingdom – by Chinese immigrants. For example, [[Mulberry Street (Manhattan)|Mulberry Street]] in New York, also known as [[Chinatown]], has papier-mâché retailers which are similar to [[Papier-mâché offering shops in Hong Kong|those in Hong Kong]]. They serve the Chinese who are living there, in order to celebrate Chinese festivals.<ref>{{cite news|last1=黃|first1=偉江|title=清明紙紮品熱賣 (Papier-mâché products become hot items in Ching Ming Festival)|url=http://singtao.com/showContent.php?main=oversea&sub=4&title=3&page=0&StrContentId=20120406a33|agency=Sing Tao Ltd.|publisher=Sing Tao Daily}}</ref>

==Health impact==
{{Further|Particulates#Health effects}}
[[File:Joss paper burning on the street, Tai Po, Hong Kong, 2023.webm|thumb|upright|Burning of joss paper]]
Metal contents analysis of ash samples shows that joss paper burning emits copious amounts of toxic components causing health risks. There is a significant amount of [[heavy metals]] in the dust fume and bottom ash, e.g., [[aluminium]], [[iron]], [[manganese]], [[copper]], [[lead]], [[zinc]] and [[cadmium]].<ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1016/j.matpr.2020.08.686 | title=Heavy metals emissions from joss paper burning rituals and the air quality around a specific incinerator | year=2021 | last1=Giang | first1=Lam Van | last2=Thanh | first2=Tran | last3=Hien | first3=Truong Thanh | last4=Tan | first4=Lam Van | last5=Thi Bich Phuong | first5=Tran | last6=Huu Loc | first6=Ho | journal=Materials Today: Proceedings | volume=38 | pages=2751–2757 | s2cid=226353498 | doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280221481 |doi=10.1039/C5EM00312A |title=Annual air pollution caused by the Hungry Ghost Festival |year=2015 |last1=Khezri |first1=B. |last2=Chan |first2=Y. Y. |last3=Tiong |first3=L. Y. D. |last4=Webster |first4=R. D. |journal=Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts |volume=17 |issue=9 |pages=1578–1586 |pmid=26220212 |hdl=10356/82684 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Another study found that burning gold and silver joss papers during festivals may contribute to [[Parkinson's disease]] among the elderly and slow child development.<ref>[https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/477721/doctors-warn-on-toxic-incense-joss-papers Doctors warn on toxic incense, joss papers]</ref><ref name="Vellingiri2022">{{cite journal |vauthors=Vellingiri B, Suriyanarayanan A, Selvaraj P, Abraham KS, Pasha MY, Winster H, Gopalakrishnan AV, G S, Reddy JK, Ayyadurai N, Kumar N, Giridharan B, P S, Rao KR, Nachimuthu SK, Narayanasamy A, Mahalaxmi I, Venkatesan D |title=Role of heavy metals (copper (Cu), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe) and lithium (Li)) induced neurotoxicity |journal=Chemosphere |volume=301 |issue= |article-number=134625 |date=August 2022 |pmid=35439490 |doi=10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134625 |bibcode=2022Chmsp.30134625V |type=review}}</ref>

==Types==

===Traditional===
[[File:Joss Paper Made of Gold in Jin Dynasty 2012-05.JPG|thumb|Joss made from gold foil, dating to the [[Jin dynasty (266–420)|Jin dynasty]] (266–420 AD)]]

Joss paper is traditionally made from coarse [[bamboo]] paper, which feels handmade with many variances and imperfections, although [[washi paper|rice paper]] is also commonly used. Traditional joss is cut into individual squares or rectangles. Depending on the region, Joss paper may be decorated with seals, stamps, pieces of contrasting paper, engraved designs or other motifs.

Different types of spirit money are given to distinct categories of spirits.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mafatchun.action-mind.com/worshipteaching.htm |script-title=zh:拜 神 教 室 |access-date=5 April 2010 |archive-date=26 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126215259/http://www.mafatchun.action-mind.com/worshipteaching.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hkreporter.com/talks/thread-229394-1-1.html |script-title=zh:簡介：冥鏹及衣紙 |access-date=2010-04-05 |archive-date=2012-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121208235838/http://www.hkreporter.com/talks/thread-229394-1-1.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.kaifook.com.hk/special/sp005.htm |script-title=zh:衣紙2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313113038/http://www.kaifook.com.hk/special/sp005.htm |archive-date=2012-03-13 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hk32168.com/thread-161970-1-1.html |script-title=zh:拜神用的金銀元寶衣紙及其他的排列次序 |access-date=2010-04-05 |archive-date=2011-07-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711171953/http://www.hk32168.com/thread-161970-1-1.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The three main types of spirit money are cash (also known as copper), silver and gold. Cash monies are given to newly deceased spirits and spirits of the unknown. Golden Joss papers (jin) are mostly offered to the Deities such as the [[Jade Emperor]]. Silver Joss paper (yin) is given to ancestral spirits as well as other spirits. These distinctions between the three categories of spirit money must be followed precisely to avoid confusing or insulting the spirits.
{{Gallery
|width=130|height=120
|mode=packed
|File:大百壽金.jpg|Dabai Shoujin ({{zhi|c=大百壽金|l=longevity gold}}): large paper squares with a golden metallic rectangle imprinted with Fu, Lu & Shou (Three Stars), can be offered to heavenly Deities.
|File:刈金.jpg|Yijin ({{zhi|c=刈金|l=cut gold"}}): large paper squares with a golden metallic rectangle, can be offered to any level of Deities.
|File:九金.jpg|Jiujin ({{zhi|c=九金|l=nine gold}}): large paper squares with a golden metallic rectangle and printed with angled shapes and characters, popular in Southern Taiwan, used to be offered to Deities's spiritual soldiers, more common offer in ancestral worship and earth guardians nowadays.
|File:小銀.jpg|Xiaoyin ({{zhi|c=小銀|l=lesser silver}}): small paper squares with a silver metallic rectangle, burned for close relatives, ancestors and spirits.
|File:經衣.jpg|Jingyi ({{zhi|c=經衣|l=threads and clothes}}): A type of joss paper with images of items needed by the dead as "daily necessity", such as clothes, shoes, cups, and scissors, printed on the surface.
}}

===Contemporary===
{{Original research section|date=February 2022}}
More contemporary or westernized varieties of Joss paper include [[Hell money|paper currency]], [[credit card]]s, cheques, as well as [[papier-mâché]] clothes, houses, cars, toiletries, electronics and servants (together known as [[Zhizha]] in Mandarin ''zhǐzhā'' [[:zh:紙紮]]). The designs on paper items vary from the very simple to very elaborate (with custom artwork and names).

In 2006, in response to the burning of ''"messy sacrificial items"'', such as paper cars, houses, and pills, Dou Yupei, the PRC deputy minister for civil affairs, announced that the ministry intended to ban at least the more extreme forms of joss paper.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-03-22 |title=For the (dead) Chinese man who has everything: cars and Viagra |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1546370/For-the-dead-Chinese-man-who-has-everything-cars-and-Viagra.html |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=The Telegraph |language=en}}</ref>

<gallery mode="nolines" widths="190" heights="270">
File:A man carrying bags of joss paper goods in a shopping mall Tai Po HK.jpg|A man carrying bags of joss paper goods
File:現代紙錢.jpg|A modern type of joss paper in the folded form and colour of gold bars
File:IPhone papier mache set.jpg|A set of papier-mâché offerings with iPhone and accessories for a female deceased
</gallery>

===="Hell Bank Notes"====
{{main|Hell money}}

Much like the traditional gold and silver paper, Hell Bank Notes are a modernized version of joss paper and serve as the official currency for the afterlife. Living relatives offer them to dead ancestors by burning (or placing them in coffins in the case of funerals) the bank notes as a bribe to [[Yama (Buddhism and Chinese mythology)|Yanluo]] for a shorter stay or to escape punishment, or for the ancestors themselves to use in spending on lavish items in the afterlife.

The word "hell" may have been derived from:
#The preaching of [[Christianity in China|Christian missionaries]], who told the Chinese that non-Christians and their ancestors would go to hell when they died as non-believers. [[Purgatory]] as taught by certain Christian denomininations is a parallel. 
#A translation of the word "hell" that matches the pre-existing Chinese concept of "underworld realm", which in [[Taoist]] cosmology had been considered one of the destinations on the journey of [[Reincarnation|rebirth]] of every soul of the dead regardless of his or her virtue during life.

Hell Bank Notes are also known for their enormous denominations ranging from ten thousand to five million. The bills almost always are in the form of [[dollars]] or [[Yuan (currency)|yuan]], and usually feature an image of either the [[Jade Emperor]] or [[Yanluo Wang]] on the front and the "headquarters" of the Hell Bank on the back. Another common feature is the signatures of both the Yanluo Wang and the Judges of Underworld, both of whom apparently also serve as the Hell bank's governor and deputy governor (as featured on the back). Yet another feature is a Hell Bank Note being a replica of a [[United States one-hundred-dollar bill]], with a disclaimer noting the bill is counterfeit.

==Regulation==
{{Expand section|small=no|date=April 2024}}
Certain provinces in China have banned the burning of joss paper out of concern for the [[air pollution]] it causes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jie |first=Yan |date=Mar 16, 2017 |title=To Improve Air Quality, Harbin Bans Burning Ghost Money |url=https://www.sixthtone.com/news/2065 |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=[[Sixth Tone]]}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Commons category|Joss paper}}
'''Health'''
* [[Black carbon]]
* [[Manganese poisoning]]
* [[Particulates]]
* [[Soot]]
* [[Toxic heavy metal]]
'''Others'''
* [[Air pollution in Hong Kong]]
* [[Ancestral temple]]
* [[Chinese burial money]]
* [[Pollution in China]]
* [[Religious goods store]]
* [[Coins for the dead]]

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

* Adler, J. (2002). Chinese Religious Traditions. London: Laurence King Publishing, Ltd.
* Asian Joss Paper: Rubber Trouble. Retrieved October 23, 2008 from http://rubbertrouble.com/joss.php {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627152123/http://rubbertrouble.com/joss.php |date=2013-06-27 }} 
* Burning of Joss Paper. Retrieved October 23, 2008 from https://web.archive.org/web/20070713050534/http://app.nea.gov.sg/cms/htdocs/article.asp?pid=720
* Feuchtwang, S. (2001). Popular Religion in China. Surrey: Curzon Press.
* Gates, H. (1987, July). Money for the Gods. Modern China, 13(3), 259–277. Retrieved from JSTOR database.
* Hell bank notes - Library - Collection - Studio - Collectors Software. Retrieved October 23, 2008 from [http://www.collectionstudio.com/en/library/banknotes/29/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315211024/http://www.collectionstudio.com/en/library/banknotes/29/ |date=15 March 2023 }}
* [http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/Chinese_Customs/joss_paper.htm Joss Paper]. Retrieved October 24, 2008 
* Seaman, G. (1982 Fall). Spirit Money: An Interpretation. Journal of Chinese Religions.
* Thompson, L. (1989). Chinese Religion. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

== Further reading ==
* [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36220469/ A systematic literature review on the association between exposures to toxic elements and an autism spectrum disorder]
* [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5506824/ Estimation of cancer risk due to exposure to lead contamination in Joss paper]
* [https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr03-04/english/panels/hg/papers/hgcb1-366-e-scan.pdf Burning Incense for Worshipping in the Public Area of Public Housing Estates] (2003)
* [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23437659/ Effects on cement after partial replacement with burned joss paper ash]
* [https://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/about-us/publications-and-statistics/housing-dimensions/article/20120831/index.html#1 Housing dimensions - HK] (2011)
* [https://www.fehd.gov.hk/english/cc/Joss_Paper_Burners_in_Tsang_Tsui_Columbarium.html Special Arrangement for Joss Paper Burners in Tsang Tsui Columbarium around the Chung Yeung Festival 2022]

===Regulation / advice from governments===
*[https://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/compliance_ass/others/joss.html Compliance Assistance, Joss Paper and Paper Artifacts Burning]
*[https://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/sites/default/files/epd/english/compliance_ass/others/files/EPD_Joss_Paper_eng.pdf Guidelines on Air Pollution Control for Joss Paper Burning at Chinese Temples, Crematoria and Similar Places]
*[https://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/sites/default/files/epd/english/compliance_ass/others/files/EPD_Paper_Artifacts_eng.pdf Guidelines on Air Pollution Control for Paper Artifacts Burning at Funeral Parlours and Other Places of Worship]
*[https://www.emsd.gov.hk/minisites/voice/en/issue42/p6c.pdf “Rest in Breeze” 2016]
*[https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201705/18/P2017051800509.htm Upstairs Taoist shrine in Hung Hom convicted for smoke emission]
*[https://nspp.mofa.gov.tw/nsppe/news.php?post=239295&unit=410&unitname=Stories&postname=Low-Carbon-Worship:-Changing-Times-for-Joss-Paper-and-Incense Changing Times for Joss Paper and Incense]
*[https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/data/pdfdoc/MEWR20010816001.pdf Joss burner cover, Singapore (2001)]
*[https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/image-detail?cmsuuid=5a32db99-560d-48e3-9fdc-4034e1cfd328 Image of joss paper burning container]
*[https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/image-detail?cmsuuid=e063765c-3058-43a4-ba2b-13760d5833f0 Image of joss paper burner]
*[https://greenliving.epa.gov.tw/newPublic/Eng/News/Contents/14014 The EPA encourages temples to reduce incense-burning]

===Different places===
*[https://ampe.vnexpress.net/news/life/trend/vietnamese-lose-burning-desire-to-please-the-deceased-with-joss-paper-4155332.html Vietnamese lose burning desire to please the deceased with joss paper]
*[https://research-biennale.rca.ac.uk/projects/the-future-of-ritual-joss-paper-culture-in-thailand Parinda Sakdanaraseth The Future of Ritual, Joss paper culture in Thailand]
*[https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/13-per-cent-drop-in-number-of-complaints-over-joss-paper-burning-during-hungry-ghost-month 13 per cent drop in number of complaints over joss paper burning during Hungry Ghost month] (Singapore)
*[https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-health-coronavirus-china-tombsweeping-idINKBN21M016 China's Wuhan marks sombre Tomb Sweeping festival amid coronavirus]
*[https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/east-asia/taiwan-burning-boats-illness-pandemic-b1955045.html Can Taiwan's burning boats end the pandemic?]
*[https://tyr-jour.hkbu.edu.hk/2016/11/10/modern-paper-offerings-are-breaking-traditional-stereotypes/ Modern paper offerings are breaking traditional stereotypes] (Hong Kong)

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary}}
*[https://www.pond5.com/stock-footage/item/96193486-spread-burning-ashes-joss-paper Spread of burning ashes of joss paper after worship], temple Goddess of Mercy, Penang Island.

{{Chinese exonumia}}
{{Chinese paper money}}
{{Religious Confucianism}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joss Paper}}
[[Category:Bamboo]]
[[Category:Banknotes of China]]
[[Category:Practices in Chinese folk religion]]
[[Category:Chinese inventions]]
[[Category:Death customs]]
[[Category:Exonumia]]
[[Category:Fire in religion]]
[[Category:Papermaking in China]]
[[Category:Chinese numismatic charms]]