III.— NOTE ON THE TU T'lEN HUI (tR^#) 



HELD AT CH1NKIANG ON THE 



31st MAY, 1917. 



H. A. OTTEWILL. 



The Tu-t'ien hui consists of a procession in honour of 

 the Tu t'ien pu-sa. It used to be held every year. 

 Accounts differ as to the last occasion on which it was 

 celebrated. Some say six and others eight years ago. It 

 appears to have varied in extent and magnificence. The 

 celebration this year is said have been the largest for sixteen 

 years, and yet the number of spirits invoked and chairs in 

 the procession did not exceed half those brought forward- 

 on previous occasions. Although belief in the favourable 

 intervention of the numerous gods and goddesses in the 

 Chinese pantheon is decaying, and must necessarily decay, 

 before the materialistic influence of Western science and 

 knowledge, many generations must elapse before it ceases to 

 play an active part in the thoughts and life of the people. 

 Even when forms and ceremonies connected with these 

 beliefs have passed away into the limbo of forgotten usages, 

 traces will be found which will lead back to long-forgotten 

 customs and habits of thought. 



It seems permissible to give an account of one occasion 

 where deities are honoured while these customs and habits 

 of thought have not yet lost their full influence and preserve 

 it for reference by those curious to learn the ways of thought 

 of our Chinese fellow-citizens. 



The procession in honour of the Tu t'ien p'u-sa consisted 

 of various parts, and more than one god was honoured. The 

 fete began at an early hour in the morning. The various 

 corteges passed to and fro along the main streets, where 

 broad enough, till sunset. Probably four thousand men 

 took an active part in the procession. The cost was met 

 out of funds belonging to the Tu t'ien Guild, which were 

 subscribed to by merchants and merchant bodies in pro- 

 portion to their incomes. It is said that a small sum is put 

 aside out of each sale and contributed to the funds. The 

 expenditure on the present occasion amounted to fifteen or 



