Anyone defending wrapping up their kid on a day like this has to be a bit silly. Since I've come to China I've always been told where's my coat, where's my jumper. I always say try living in England then you'll realise why I don't need a coat in china. Sometimes I gave in and just wore a jumper, coat etc but with my child just born a few months back I'll definitely be making sure he's not wrapped up these days in the many layers that seems to be the norm here.

Culture can be educated where it needs to, not just blindly followed because it's 'culture'!

@napoleon thx for the laugh :)
'Others look like they don't own a wardrobe and so have to constantly wear every item of clothing they posses.'

> Is China some kind of Zoo-experiment for you?

I don't know what that means.

> What is your right to keep superstitions? You don't practice them, yourself right? Isn't that selfish?

I am interested in them from a cultural perspective. Why are you complaining about superstitions? Have they negatively influenced your life in some way?

> About the Hawking god theory. Can you proof it's not true.

No. Can you prove his theory is true?

Anyway, sorry but I realized we're getting way off topic here. So just drop it.

@OHW
Sorry we take you down the path of darkness.

As you would have said earlier, you chose to be here, ...lol.
Just joking.

There are at first only two options, either way we are too negative and/or you are too positive blinding out the bad part of China. Or us vice versa.

I think it is in the middle, we know China is no paradise and we know it is not hell. So, don't try to fight both sides. When the first bad things happened to me in China I wasn't denying it, nor embracing it, or saying it's everyday like this. But I saw the base, of it's society. And of course here I can't and don't want to change it. Most people here are foreigners and they already know what is going on, and we all share a very similar logic. But I have quite a lot of friends, and they already, even without my help, know very well what is going on. And they are dreaming of the same China as I do. I fell in love with the China it could and will be in the future, and I don't mean a new USA or Germany, but a real social [not socialist, per se] China, beautiful and strong. But it has a long way to go, as any state after a century of war, turmoil and famine. The people want, many don't know yet how to get there, but they know at least, what they don't want and that is a good start into finding what they really want.

@OHW
Can I prove it? No, but Stephen Hawkins can.

Superstitions haven't hurt me but killed a friend [long story]. Superstitions have no use, other than spread fear, a little bit like religion, actually born out of religion pagan belief. No, it's not hurting me, but kids, parents, the animal kingdom [tiger d*cks are one example], the environment, etc.

Personally not too much harm, in the bigger picture, yes.

Alright, here comes the issue, most Chinese don't know about their own superstitions, except number 4 and the chopsticks in the rice, most of them, when asked, -couldn't tell you why it there. And that is the time when that particular superstition or cultural nicnac is obsolete. Also, it doesn't make sense. I put a red ribbon in my car, so that I am safe from harm and then I drive like I am mad, don't use my mirrors, don't care about people crossing the street, and drive 3 times the speed limit. That is not superstition, that is asking for reward by god or higher powers.

So yeah,superstitions are of no use, if you wanna keep them, at least worship them, keep them alive.

And by Law of Attraction, you have to do more than just believe in superstition, you have to act upon it, visualize, speak the words out loud...etc.

SO even superstition here are just a masquerade to pretend its a big part of a culture. I wish it wouldn't but it is.

So should tomb-sweeping festival be abolished then because it's all based on superstition?

One-Hit Wonder, I think that most posters here might say yes. Anything that is not like Western, white culture, should be eliminated.

These forums are insanely entertaining, to say the least.

@OHW
No, you are distorting, what I was trying to say.
Imagine, you's come to Germany and I demand from you conduct, understand and accept a German custom, say...e.g. smear poop on your nose. [It's poop related, so it wouldn't be a surprise if it would be a real German thing].

If you'd ask Germans about it, they dunno where it's from, or if it's a real thing, or what it was for, they just tell you to do it and some few do it themselves.

Would you recommend Germans to keep it up. Don't let the culture die, protect it from itself.

So, I didn't say erase all the history and culture but take away, or at least don't forcefully and artificially try to protect every tiny little thing about every little move in China. If the teakettle spout points at a person, well...if he knows about the superstition, he or she will move it away.

And there is my point, most of the superstitions are a reward, the kettle for e.g. is to not lose face.

Kill tomb sweeping festival, sure let's kill Christmas and All Saints Day, too. I don't mind a bit.

All things important will survive without artificial up-keeping.

Dudesons, your comment, "It's poop related, so it wouldn't be a surprise if it would be a real German thing" made me laugh so hard I almost spat my beer out of my nose. I like you more and more, though I may disagree with you sometimes.

Of course we may disagree, why not? It's what makes us beautiful right.