China · Paper Craft / Ritual Object
纸扎 (Zhī Zhā) — Teochew: 紙紮
Teochew zhizha (纸扎) is the ritual craft of constructing elaborate three-dimensional paper effigies — houses, cars, servants, electronics, luxury goods — to be burned as offerings at funerals and ancestral rites in the Teochew (Chaoshan) cultural zone of Guangdong and Fujian, and their diaspora communities throughout Southeast Asia and beyond. The technique combines bamboo strip framework construction, paper pasting, and painted surface finishing to produce realistic representations of objects that can range from a handbag to a full-scale house with furniture and appliances. The procedural knowledge encompasses both structural engineering (bamboo framework must support the weight of paper and paint without collapse during the construction period) and the representational vocabulary — specific colors, forms, and objects carry ritual meaning that must be correct for the offering to be acceptable.
Risk level: Endangered · China National ICH List (regional variants); Singapore variant separately inscribed
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