CHAPTER V
The Domestic Altar 家神[1]
The domestic altar is called chia k‘an hsiang huo 家龕香火 or shên k‘an 神龕 or shên kuei 丨櫃; on the upper part is an incense pot; in the niche or cupboard is t‘u ti 土地 the precinct god. This shrine is the last thing to leave the house when the habitants remove, and as long as it is there the owner of it claims to be in possession. When he removes the cupboard he invites the domestic gods to follow him, ch‘ing chia-shên 請家神, the colloquial for worshipping them being kung 供 chia-shên.
The Heaven and Earth tablet 天地君親師 t‘ien ti chün ch‘in shih is dedicated to Heaven, Earth, Emperor, Ancestors and Teachers. It is said this tablet originated with Ssŭ tzŭ Yen wang 四子燕王 of the Han dynasty. Before he became emperor he fled before soldiers seeking to kill him, but stopped at the request of some friendly folk who asked him to write a tablet for the family altar. He wrote the above five characters, and explained that "Heaven has a covering grace, Earth a supporting grace," and so on.
- ↑ This chapter appeared in the Journal of the North China Branch Royal Asiatic Society, 1918, and is reproduced here by kind permission of the Council. Numerous alterations will be noticed.
