I used to fold paper ingots and lotuses for my grandmother in preparation for Qing Ming Festival. Even now I can still remember the scent of the thin yellow paper, its ink lingering on my fingertips after hours of folding. There is a certain satisfaction in transforming a block of paper into a pile of yellow and gold ingots. As we burn the folded ingots and flowers in the temple or grave, the objects are transferred by flames to our ancestors in hopes that it will help them to pay off their karmic debt and be able to enjoy a comfortable afterlife.

Joss paper, 金纸 (Jīn zhǐ) is also known as Spirit money, Ghost money or Hell paper. It plays a huge role in Chinese funerals, Qing Ming festivals and Hungry Ghost Festivals. Traditionally, these papers are burnt as offerings to the deceased as an act of filial piety to make sure that our deceased ancestors are comfortable in the afterlife. The papers come in many shape and forms and they are often folded into ingots, lotuses, clothings or even elaborate mansions to help the deceased live a comfortable life in the spirit realm or to bribe the officials in the afterlife for safe passage to heaven or rebirth.

I’ve chosen to illustrate the paper lotus as represents the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s lotus throne, which richly signifies purity, and spiritual enlightenment. Paper lotuses, can be burnt for the deceased and also as an offering for gods. The “afterlife lotus”, is burnt as an offering to the deceased, and the “longevity lotus”, is burnt as an offering to the gods. By burning joss paper lotus for the deceased, it helps purify those who have passed on to and rid them of worldly suffering and help them to ascend into heaven.