l6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 8o 



religion is the belief in and fear of demons, who are thought to be 

 the cause of all diseases and calamities, and the attempt to ward them 

 off and secure safety and happiness by means of marvellous, super- 

 human power that is made available through charms, amulets, incan- 

 tations, priests, and gods/ This, however, would be an exaggeration. 

 We merely note that protection against demons is a very important 

 part of the religious technique in Szechuan. 



III. BIRTH, MARRIAGE, DEATH, AND BURIAL 

 I. VARIETY OF CUSTOMS IN SZECHUAN PROVINCE 



To most individuals, birth, marriage, and death are the outstanding 

 events of human life. It is natural that many religious rites and 

 ceremonies group themselves around these events. 



While general resemblances between the birth, marriage, and burial 

 customs are noticeable throughout all China, there are also many 

 variations. These are evident even in different parts of Szechuan 

 Province. Adam Grainger, in a little booklet entitled Studies in 

 Chinese Life, describes in detail birth, marriage, and burial customs 

 in Szechuan. Mr. J. Mortimore, in a series of short articles, has also 

 described the burial customs. A book entitled Chinese Culture and 

 Christianity, by J. L. Stewart, and based primarily on conditions in 

 Szechuan, has recently appeared. In these descriptions one is im- 

 pressed more by the differences than by the resemblances. 



It is probable that the religious and social customs of Szechuan 

 are a blend of the old Chinese culture with other elements that are 

 aboriginal, or have been brought in from India, Tibet, or possibly 

 other countries. It is not always possible to distinguish between them. 

 The Miao and the Chinese of Szechuan both have the Pan Ku myth, 

 monosyllabic languages with five tones, and many customs in common, 

 but it cannot always be ascertained which has borrowed from the other. 

 It seems wise and necessary to limit ourselves to those elements which 

 are probably general in the province, and to pay special attention to 

 certain burial customs which can be traced back into antiquity, and 

 which throw light on the development of the Chinese religion. 



2. THE DESIRE FOR AND THE METHODS OF SECURING CHILDREN 



Like other branches of the human race, the Chinese desire a 

 numerous posterity. This is intensified by the need of sons to conduct 

 the ancestral ceremonies. 



^ Dore, Henry S. D., Researches Into Chinese Superstitions, Vol. IV, p. 431; 

 Vol. V, pp. ii-iii. 



