An introduction to Chinese superstitions:

As a rich culture that has evolved over hundreds of years, old superstitions are still very much a part of Chinese customs and way of life. Though some are perhaps more popular with older generations, there are still a few that are taken rather seriously in China. 

Wearing red

Red is the luckiest colour in Chinese culture, representing good fortune, joy, celebration, and prosperity. You’ll see red everywhere, from the flag to red envelopes and especially at Chinese New Year. If you head to New Year celebrations, you’ll see almost everyone wearing red to mark the occasion and to attract good spirits while warding off evil.

On your Zodiac year (looking at you, snakes!), you are supposed to wear red every day – lots of Chinese people will wear red accessories and underwear every day during their Zodiac year to ward off evil spirits. You can expect to receive red-coloured gifts when it becomes your turn.

Numbers

In Western culture, the number 13 is considered unlucky, but in China these numbers are taken a lot more seriously. For example, the number 4 is considered very unlucky because in Chinese it sounds like the word for death. So much so, that you’ll often see elevators without a fourth floor! The numbers 8, 6, 2, and 9 are considered to be lucky as well, particularly the number 8. You’ll often see these numbers crammed into phone numbers, registration plates, business names etc. 

Gift giving

There are some gifts you should give and some you really shouldn’t. For example, you should never gift someone shoes in China because the Chinese word for shoes is (鞋) xié which resembles the word for bad luck or evil (邪) xié. You should also not gift a clock or watch because in China to gift a clock (送钟 sòng zhōng) is a homonym for ‘attending a funeral’ (song zhōng 送终).

Feng Shui

There’s some debate over whether Feng Shui is a superstition because it can be very useful for planning the layout of your home so that it achieves balance, and the furniture/layout is coherent. However, much of Feng Shui falls under the superstitious category. For example, the staircase in a home should be in the centre of the home but not directly in front of the door to prevent the energy escaping from the home. Other examples include balancing the five elements of water, earth, fire, metal, and wood to achieve harmony within the home. There are even rules about which way your bed should face!