this post was submitted on 10 Feb 2026
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I wouldn't call weird spiritual stuff "atheist", per se.
Does your family burn those fake heaven money thing? Burn incense? Put a chicken on a huge plate as a "sacrifice", then like hold the fake heaven money in their hand then like pray to spirits or whatever while muttering weird 4 character phrases like 心想事成，快高長大, 學業進步。。。 etc... then throw the fake money into a metal container with burning fire... you know what I'm talking about, right?
Idk wtf they are even doing lmao... so weird, I just never participate since I was a teen because those traditions just felt silly.
That, to me, is religion, even though its not "officially" religious.
I don't think I'm gonna be burning fake heaven money if I have kids... like... nah... kinda weird lol... I don't really believe in the spirits stuff and feels like its adding more pollution for no reason. Maybe I'm just too westernized and don't feel attached to Chinese culture anymore.
My family is from Guangdong btw, maybe your family is different, idk, does your family do those weird rituals?
I feel like a "banana" lmfao... ("asian on the outside, westerner on the inside"), the only attachment I have is that I can still read basic Chinese characters... and speak on a 2nd grade level, that's about it...
Oh btw, my mom is very anti-mental-health care and constantly think my depression is just “鬼纏住你” and tells me to wear some necklace or some dumb shit that "wards off evil" lmfao...
And wasting food will “被雷公劈” lolol.
I threw away food I didn't like (I was a kid okay lol) and I never got struck by the lightning god or whatever so... okay boomers.
My family is from Manchuria/Beijing where the communist party has a much stronger grip so... I'm not kidding, a lot of ppl literally practice no religion whatsoever; probably got stamped out by the CCP. I think there might be a rather strong North/South divide in China: the North unfortunately has always been under stricter supervision by the party so...
Like they separate it very clearly. My grandparents' generation have old folk religion but ppl would call them "Mi Xin" so... my dad did burn the fake money things, but only during my grandparents' tomb cleanings or anything to do with the older generation. One of my grandparents is Buddhist, but she does make it quite clear. Otherwise most ppl I know literally have nothing remotely resembling religious in their apartments
On a related note: How harshly was the One Child Policy enforced where you're from? Like... did you know anyone or heard of anyone that managed to somehow give birth to a 2nd child... especially in urban areas or when the first child is a male (since rural areas had like an exception if the first child was female).
I'm just curious because I somehow managed to survive... like... I have no idea what the odds are to be a second son born during One Child Policy. Like my maternal grandparents had 3 daughters and they also only have daughters. My mom is the youngest so she had children the latest, so when my mom had not one, but two male children, my maternal grandfather was sooo happy, that's what my mom said.
Like... I have existential crisis all the time...
I don't think I would've been born if the policy was enforced more strictly... like if I was in the north for example...
Do you have any siblings at all?
Wow, this is so interesting. I feel like the fact that the Communist Party “stamps out” all types of religion is simply a testament to how important it is for humans to share with eachother something higher than our mortal plane. Would you be willing to share more about your experience with your grandparents, and how the culture has now switched to a vast majority practicing no religion at all?
It's not as interesting... three of my grandparents passed away before I started memorizing things so I don't know that much stuff first-hand. But basically... At least where my parents grew up, old folk religions (again... just referred to Mi Xin now) used to be quite common. The last generation (starting 30-40 years ago) just don't really practice them anymore, so my generation are full of complete non-religious people; not even any folk religion. Not sure if it has anything to do with that region being the manufacturing hub of China for a while... so maybe CCP had a much stronger influence there
Beijing is kinda duh, the government is there so... I mean it is the city that destroyed nearly all of its Hu Tongs and historical housing and stuff to build highrises/business districts, how would people imagine Beijing treat its less tangible cultural norms
There was a new religion purge that started sometime 10-15 years ago... but I think it was separate. I just remember there was a Christian family friend whose church was in a bit of a trouble