Wupeng boat · upper and lower body

Author: Zhou Zuoren
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: Zhou Zuoren's prose style is calm, gentle, and elegant. This book includes many of his essays, making it an excellent read for understanding his writing style. Zhou Zuoren's prose often depicts the customs and folk culture of his hometown, Zhejiang. In his still-life descriptions, he incorporates elements of nature and folk traditions, placing his essays within a broader cultural context, which is quite interesting. Excerpt: Ancestor Worship Ancestor worship is a custom found in many countries in the Far East. Most barbaric tribes today practice it, and it was also present in ancient Europe. China still preserves this barbaric custom of the clan era, which is truly strange. As far as I am concerned, this practice is not only illogical but also harmful in reality and should be abolished. The original reasons for ancestor worship, of course, stem from the belief in spirits. Primitive people believed that everything in the world has a spirit, and the body is merely a temporary dwelling. Therefore, after death, people remain as ghosts in the world, living and eating just as they did before. These needs must be met by their descendants, otherwise they may anger the dead and bring disaster. This is the origin of ancestor worship. Now that science is advanced, we know that there are no ghosts in the world, so these deceptive sacrifices and rituals can certainly be abandoned.