Other Burners, Other Fires

The ritualized burning of offerings is not confined to cemeteries or funerary rituals; these are treated at Chinese Funerary Burners. In much of Asia other burners are a daily part of life. Images of them provide important comparative information about their use and nature.

For ongoing discussion about Chinese funerary practices, you may wish to participate in the Chinese Cemetery Studies list. It is an electronic discussion list, begun by Wendy Rouse in 1997, which brings together the community of scholars working on aspects of Chinese (particularly overseas Chinese) funerary and mortuary practices. For additional information about the list and how to participate, see <http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/special-collections/cemintro.htm>.

Temple Burners
Image courtesy Asian American Comparative Collection, 2006	Unidentified burner China	"Before a Buddhist temple there is usually a furnace where prayers written upon paper may be burned. The Chinese seem not to have thought of a chimney as the smoke comes from the aperture at one side. Some of our public parks might note that a place to burn paper is not necessarily ugly." Howard, Edwin L. Chinese Garden Architecture. NY: Macmillan, 1931.
Photo courtesy Roberta Greenwood, 2002	Goddess of Mercy Temple (Kong Hock Keong) Penang Malaysia	Iron, on wheels, dated 1991
Photo courtesy Roberta Greenwood, 2002	Wat Chalong Phuket Thailand	Masonry
Photo by Priscilla Wegars, October 2002	Burner and incense holder Baixian Guan Xian China	Cast iron
Photo by Priscilla Wegars, October 2002	Temple burner San Yuan Gong Temple Guangzhou China	Cast iron
Photo by Priscilla Wegars, November 2002	Burner Guangxiao Temple Guangzhou China	Masonry
Photo by Priscilla Wegars, November 2002	Burner and incense holder Lin Fong Temple forecourt Macau	Cast iron
Photo by Roberta Greenwood, February 2014	Burner Po Lin Monastery, Tai O Village, Lantau Island Hong Kong	Masonry
Other Temple Equipment
Photo by Priscilla Wegars, October 2002	Iron candle stand Dayan Ta (Big Wild Goose) Pagoda Xian China	Cast Iron
Photo by Priscilla Wegars, October 2002	Incense holder Bao Lun Temple Chongqing China	Cast iron
Grave Burners
Photo by Terry Abraham, November 2002	Grave burner Taipa Municipal Cemetery Taipa Macau	Masonry
Photo by Priscilla Wegars, November 2002	Altar burner United Chinese Cemetery Taipa Macau	Masonry
Imperial Burners
Photo by Terry Abraham, October 2002	Oven for burning sacrificial offerings of silk Working People's Cultural Palace Zhongshan Park Beijing China
Dzidzat (offerings to be burned)
Photo by Terry Abraham, April 2007	Buying Dzidzat at Yang Min Shan First Public Cemetery for Ching Ming Taipei Taiwan
Photo by Terry Abraham, April 2007	Dzidzat vendor at Yang Min Shan First Public Cemetery for Ching Ming Taipei Taiwan
Photo by Priscilla Wegars, October 2002	Dzidzat shop near Baixian Guan Xian China
Photo by Priscilla Wegars, November 2002	Dzidzat shop Macau
Street artifacts
Photo by Priscilla Wegars, November 2002	Doorway incense burners and burn marks Guangzhou China
Photo by Priscilla Wegars, November 2002	Woman burning offerings in sheet metal can Macau
Photo by Priscilla Wegars, November 2002	Street-side shrine Macau
Not a burner?
Photo by Terry Abraham, October 2002	Burner-shaped structure, no apparent opening, in apple orchard near Prince Yide's Tomb outside Xian China	Masonry

Acknowledgments