Burning Paper Food and Clothes for the Afterlife

In China, there is a belief that people who have passed on to the afterlife still need the same money and material goods they used here on Earth. In order to deliver these items to the spirit world, many will burn paper reproductions of these items as offerings. Known as zhizha, these paper goods have become wildly popular, and include everything from food and clothes, to luxury items like iPhones, Gucci bags, jewelry and cameras. Burning zhizha is a long, storied, part of Chinese history and tradition, dating back nearly 2,500 years.

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