Umbrella Boat - Upper and Lower Parts: A Selection of Modern Writers

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 prose pieces, making it an excellent read for understanding Zhou Zuoren's 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 wild charm and folk traditions, placing his prose within a broader cultural context, which adds a unique touch. 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. In modern China, this barbaric practice from the clan era still persists, which is truly strange. As far as I am concerned, this custom is not only illogical but also harmful in practice and should be abolished. The original reasons for ancestor worship, of course, stem from the belief in spirits. Primitive humans believed that everything in the world had a spirit, and the body was merely a temporary dwelling. Therefore, after death, the soul remained on earth, living and eating as before. These needs had to be met by the descendants, or else the spirits of the dead would be angered, leading to disasters. This is the origin of ancestor worship. Now that science has advanced, we know that there are no ghosts in the world, and these deceptive sacrifices and rituals can certainly be abandoned.