Shandong Province
QuanBei Village
DaZhao Village
Lang Village
LiShe Village
LuLiu Village
MiaoJia Village
Xiaozhan Village
Nie Jiazhuang Village
Gaomi City
Weifang City
Woodcut Book
DaZhao Village Chapters:
Cultural Heritage: The Kitchen Gods
The Kitchen God, Zao Jun, is a very important deity. The week before the Chinese New Year, families take down old pictures of Zao Jun and burn them. The smoke rises, and in it the god ascends to the Jade Emperor in the heavens. There, Zao Jun reports on the family’s activities during the year. Before the villagers burn his image, they smear honey on his lips. This is to make his lips stick together so he cannot tell of any of the family’s wrongdoing, or to sweeten his words to the Jade Emperor. The night before the New Year, a new image is put up so that the god has a place to return. The pictures are kept at an angle because the god will not come to the house if the picture is hung straight. In paintings of Zao Jun, the pot in front of his table is the Treasure Pot, which all hope will be filled. Objects on his table represent offerings to keep him happy.
