Name of Ritual / Practice

纸灵车 (funeral hearse)

Description of Ritual/Practice

A hearse (usually a lorry) decorated with paper flowers and ornaments. A depiction of an animal sits on top of the structure, and it informs bystanders of the gender of the deceased – lion for male, crane for female. Some Buddhist would use a lotus instead of an animal. These hearses used to be assembled by skilled craftsmen at the location of the wake.

Who practices it? Who conducts the ritual?

Taoists, Buddhists

Is it still practiced now?

• Very few 纸灵车 are in use currently, and majority of these opt for ornaments made of metals or more durable material (that can be reused). This is also due to the dying trade of making the paper decorations and ornaments.
• Most families also opt for more sophisticated hearses to send off the deceased now.

Other interesting notes

The use of a lorry as hearse appears to be the origin for the colloquial saying of taking a “lorry picture” 萝莉照 ; older generation used to go to photo studios to take a ‘lorry picture’ to be used when they pass on.