GIANT lanterns in the shapes of roosters, fish and dragons illuminated the night of February 23, with families crowding into the City God Temple to see the lanterns, solve the lantern puzzles and burn incense.

The colouful lanterns have attracted more people than usual this year. It is reported that a daily average of more than 200,000 people crowded into the City God Temple to see the lanterns during the Spring Festival holiday.

¡°More people have come than in past years,¡± said Zhang Qianhua, an employee at the City God Temple.

The city¡¯s other temples, such as the Longhua Temple and the Jing¡¯an Temple, also received more visitors coming to place joss sticks in their incense burners.

¡°We received more than

100,000 people who came all the way here to light incense sticks in the Spring Festival,¡± said Liu Huaming, a security official from Longhua Temple. ¡°The long queue stretched right around the temple.¡±

Giant incense burners in the temple were full of the remains of joss sticks and big boxes for people to make donations were full.

¡°I came here to worship the Buddha and hope for a good luck blessing for the coming year,¡± said Zhang Jie, a visitor to the temple.

It is the second year Zhang has gone to the temple to worship and burn incense. He never participated in such activities in the past, but he said he felt better after worshiping the gods.

¡°The worship of Chinese gods in the temples is spreading all over the country. It is booming even in Shanghai, a city with a long history of Western cultural influence,¡± said Kuai Dashen, a research fellow with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

Superstitious beliefs

Not only poorly educated people in the countryside but also well-educated people now turn to the old Chinese customs for a feeling of security and calmness, said Kuai.

¡°A lack of security and worries about the future contribute to the trend fostering revival of Chinese customs and religious activities,¡± said Professor Gu Donghui, an expert on sociology from Fudan University.

Professor Gu said the rapidly changing society filled people at all levels with feelings of insecurity and loss.

As there is no dominant religion in China, the old Chinese customs and local gods such as the City God and the gods of mountains serve as substitute religions, said Gu.

¡°The growing prosperity has also enabled people to afford activities such as burning incense and building new temples,¡± he said.

¡°In our efforts to promote the best of Chinese folklore and culture, we should also be alert to the re-emergence of superstitions and unhealthy customs,¡± said Kuai.

Bazi suanming (Chinese astrology), xiang mian (Chinese face reading to tell one¡¯s fortune and future) and going to temples to qiu qian (to divine by the lot) are gradually regaining ground among Chinese people after being suppressed after 1949.

The month before the Spring Festival witnessed a soaring number of marriages in a bid to avoid getting married in 2005, which according to diviners is regarded as the a bad year for marriage. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, 2005 has no Spring Day, so women who get married in this year will be prone to become widows.

Statistics from the Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau found an average of 293 couples-to-be registered for marriage in the last month before the Spring Festival. State media also reported the offices for marriage registration were over-crowded in the 10 days before the Spring Festival.

¡°The saying is groundless and against science,¡± said Kuai the research fellow. ¡°But the dilemma remains ¡ª superstitions are becoming more and more popular as people are better educated and their living standard improves.¡±

A report released by the Chinese Association of Science and Technology in May, 2004 shows that 12 per cent of people in China believe in superstitions.

A report from a Shandong-based newspaper said the monks in the temples of Mount Tai have to work more than 12 hours a day to receive the visitors who go there asking to be told their fortune and fate in the coming year.

Some people spent more than 400,000 yuan (US$48,000) to gain the right to plant the first joss stick in various temples.

State media reported that even some officials had strong beliefs in the gods, hoping to get their blessing and support in career conflicts.

¡°Religious worship and burning incense have revived at a rapid speed along with other old customs,¡± said Professor Gu. ¡°Such a phenomenon has not been seen in recent decades. It is not only a matter of superstitions but also a matter of corruption of belief of the whole nation.¡±

Western influence

Experts also found Chinese customs were being gradually mixed with Western customs and cultural elements.

¡°Western customs are gradually being accepted by the younger generations,¡± said Zhong Fulan, president of the Shanghai Folklore and Culture Society.

¡°Christmas and Valentine¡¯s Day have become more and more popular among the young generations,¡± said Zhong.

Flowers and specially made Valentine¡¯s Day cakes sell well around Valentine¡¯s Day, despite the sky-high prices.

¡°Roses have been sold out on February 14,¡± said Xu Jianmin, a flower shop owner in Yangpu District. ¡°We received more than 100 orders for flowers and our store ran out.¡± According to Xu, the price of roses around Valentine¡¯s Day doubles or even triples.

¡°There are more and more middle-aged and aged people buying flowers for that day,¡± said Xu. ¡°Such sights were rarely seen in previous years.¡±

A specially decorated tree was placed in the City God Temple on Valentine¡¯s Day for lovers to make wishes, which they could write down on a piece of paper and hang it on the tree.

¡°My boyfriend came all the way from Hangzhou to celebrate Valentine¡¯s Day with me,¡± said Zhou Yan, a university student from Shanghai University. ¡°We promised to stay together at this time every year.¡±

¡°I hope the acceptance of Western customs will not lead to Chinese traditions fading away,¡± said Kuai.