The Book of Chinese Beliefs

by Frena Bloomfield

Enter the world of Chinese Ancient Beliefs and Modern Realities Earth magic, ghost weddings, passports to the after-life -- the spirit of ancient Chinese beliefs still exists side-by-side with everyday modern reality, and it affects every aspect of Chinese life, from diet and decor, to getting married and opening a business. The Book Of Chinese Beliefs shows how the Chinese people have managed to preserve their beliefs for thousands of years, while at the same time successfully adapting to the contemporary high-tech era. Here are fascinating explanations of customs that take you far beyond the superficial cliches about Chinese
-- Tong Sing -- The "Know Everything Book," a bible of the practical and the spiritual in everyday life
-- Hsien -- Powerful guardians, gifted in the arts of healing, wise in mystical studies
-- Fung Shui -- Chinese Earth Magic, appropriate placement of objects to create the best energy flow for an environment
-- I Ching -- One of many methods of reading fate and telling fortunes
-- Chi -- The mysterious healing energy that animates all of life
-- Tongs -- Ancient secret mystical societies that have dangerous modern counterparts This wonderful compendium of spiritual practices, healing arts and day-to-day attitudes is the perfect introduction to the mysteries of Chinese life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, China

95 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that includes every day religious practices and like beliefs, and also some information on other everyday practices.

Feng shui and its practices. Down to the way that geomancers have taken on the role of priests and perform exorcisms. The gods, and how the closest level are known as teh Great-Aunts and Great-Uncles, partly affectionate, partly as propitiative gestures. Festivities. Fortune-telling. Mediums, sending goods to the dead, arranging marriages for the dead -- she describes how most are arranged by families, but many stories of ghosts demanding them, and often describing the other ghost whom they want to marry. Food with its cold and hot (I was wondering how it mapped to the medieval European foods system of humors -- and did note it seemed much more critical of sugar.) Down to the Triad Societies and their history.

A side of Chinese religion not usually covered in religious studies classes.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

HIGHLY recommended. Fiona gave me this book to me for my birthday. Instead of looking at the Chinese people through a study of Confucius, or the classics, which really tell us little about the Chinese as a people and the beliefs they base their day to day activities off of, she looks at the great wealth of occult practices that Chinese engage in, from ancestor worship, to ghost marriages (!), fortune telling, medium intervention, and so on. Most of her examples come from Hong Kong, where she seems to be based, and Taiwan, as one of the last strongholds of traditional Chinese culture, expelled by the Communists (this book was written 30 years ago--but that's true to this day!). A lot of her observations seem right on, beginning with the first sentence of the first chapter, entitled, "The Invisible People": "The Chinese outnumber everyone else on this planet and they are also the most widely distributed ethnic group on earth, but they are perhaps among the least-known and least-understood people in the world too." There are chapters on Feng Shui (from how ugly factory buildings can cause school shootings, to how well-placed burial mounds can foster success for the future generations of that family), chapters on Chinese beliefs of spirits and ghosts (fascinating!), a chapter on spells, mediums, moon almanacs, healing, food & drink. Some chapters were misses--some too anecdotal, some too focused on the occult. Usually her examples are well drawn, and if sometimes exceptional, rarely are they sensationally drawn, and she never tries to make an outlandish conclusions. In total, the reader gains a wide appreciation of Chinese belief in regards to the unseen world, and if anything, makes one want to learn more.

This book reminded me of Strange Tales of a Chinese Studio, which would be the classical touch-base for this book of folk tales that draws the same kind of picture of the common--not aristocratic, not modern--Chinese.

[Matt Brant]

Ghost weddings, passports to Heaven, getting on the right side of spirits - are just a couple of the topics covered in this readable overview of how the Chinese -- especially in Taiwan, Hongkong, Singapore, and overseas communities -- integrate the supernatural with everyday life. Anybody interested in how the extra-mundane influences ordinary Chinese people should read this book. Sure, the book was published in the early Eighties but it is not like these ancient beliefs have changed in the last 25 years. Probably updated to include cell phones and wireless connexions.