Hsiang Pao, A Tradition Survives

July 1982

中文

During the Dragon Boat Festival, children not only wear hsiang pao, but also use them as toys.

Hsiang pao (perfumed sachets) are an ancient Chinese handicraft often worn in the past to ward of evil and disease. Particularly popular during the Dragon Boat Festival, the sachets add color to the wearer's apparel, and give off a delicate fragrance.

People taking part in the festival often stop to inspect the multicoloured and variously shaped hsiang pao hanging on stalls which line the streets. Children vie among themselves to see who can collect the most hsiang pao, and then proudly display them on their chests. They are often kept so long that they become dirty or even fall apart.

There is sound basis behind the tradition of wearing the hsiang pao. About the time of the dragon boat festival, the weather turns hot, and children in particular become victims to the diseases of summer. The scented sachets are worn to keep away the "poison" in the air, and parents hang out sweet flag, artemisia, and sprigs of the banyan trees, or pictures of Chung Kuei, the demon killer, to provide further protection.

Apart from giving the hsiang pao to their children, the women who embroider them by hand may present them to older people as a symbol of respect and filial piety, or to their sweethearts to convey ideas which cannot be expressed in words.

In the past, the sachets were made painstakingly by hand one stitch at a time, often into the evening with the help of candlelight. Consisting of a piece of cloth, sparkling beads and some scented cotton for filler, hsiang pao are easy to make, but it takes a great deal of skill to make them well.

In some regions, it is traditional for newly-wed women to make hsiang pao, since it is believed that their joy can be transmitted to the wearer. On the first Dragon Boat Festival after their wedding, these women often present the sachets to their friends and relatives. Since this often entails making about 200 hsiang pao, the newly-weds must be prepared to be busy every night before the festival.

Children often go from house to house in their efforts to collect the most hsiang pao, and may wear so many that they cannot button their shirts. Girls may be reluctant to wear them, however, because they are afraid of being laughed at.

The tradition of newly-weds making the hsiang pao is slowly dying, however, as women find other pursuits and are no longer trained in the art. As a result, most of the sachets are now made in factories. Although the hsiang pao displayed on stalls are not as well-crafted as they used to be, they still incorporate the old designs. Presenting and wearing hsiang pao is still an important part of the Dragon Boat Festival, along with such customs as eating tsung-tse (rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves) and lichees, watching the boat races, and painting the character meaning "king" on the foreheads of children. Even though superstitions are dying in modern China, the old traditions are still being handed down from generation to generation.

[Picture Caption]

1) During the Dragon Boat Festival, children not only wear hsiang pao, but also use them as toys. 2-9) Hsiang pao from the exhibition at the Taipei International Youth Activities Center are delicately made to preserve the ancient designs and scents. 2) These two feature five bats surrounding a "longevity" motif. 3) Dragon. 4) Fish, symbolizing plenty. 5) Mandarin duck. 6) Gourd. 7) White elephant. 8) Two hearts, made by an American student. 9) Rooster. 10) After they are completed, hsiang pao can be embellished with Chinese macrame.

1) The cloth for hsiang pao is first embroidered and covered with bangles, then sewn together. 2) A foreign student learning to make hsiang pao. 3) Hsiang pao made by foreign students. 4) 5) After the Dragon Boat Festival, the weather traditionally turns hot and humid, and children become more susceptible to illnesses. Several rituals have been worked out to combat these diseases. 4) The character "king" is drawn on the foreheads of children. 5) Artemisia is hung by the door. 6) Dragon Boat race. 7) Traditional festival foods: Tsung-tse, salted eggs, lichees, and garlic fried amaranth.