The mourning tradition of early China as described by Brown in her article, is one of extreme social display with important rituals to make sure the diseased soul is taken care of.  The ritual of mourning is very unlike the type of mourning I have seen in American culture. 

To begin, Brown noted that Chinese mothers were mourned for much more than fathers, more than two to one (p 1) Being there for the person as the exact moment they passed was seen as very important in order to make a public display of their grief. The Chinese saw their elders, ancestors, and parents as the symbols of authority. Their lives were extremely revered.  There was also no belief in the after life, so once a person passed, there was no way to see them again (p 17).  These are a few reasons as to why their mourning practices were so extravagant as compared to the ones I’ve been familiar with in my culture.   

The mourning rituals of ancient china could go on as long as three years.  A “chief mourner” was chosen, usually the deceased’s son, heir, or daughter to be in charge of the intense mourning process.  The first three days after death would be known as “soul calling” in which the chief mourner and other survivors would call out the deceased’s name.  The mythical idea behind this ritual is that the person’s spirit could possibly be coaxed back into the body of the dead person.  After three days of soul calling, it could be made sure that the person had actually passed on (p 11).

After these three days, the body is prepared for burial. However, the Chinese would sometimes take multiple years before they would actually bury the dead.  The more highly ranked, the longer, as it would take a long time for the extravagant tombs to be built and for all of the mourners to arrive and pay their respects.

The body was washed and clothed, and if highly ranked encased in jade or a luxurious coffin (p 13).  

            It was now the job of chief mourner to wail and cry until the point of sickness.  Chief mourners were known to remove themselves completely from society and luxury.  They would refuse food, social contact, and stop performing any of their political duties. Often, the chief mourner would stay in a small hut beside the grave and survive on merely gruel. This would happen for as long as three years until finally they would bury the body and the chief could remove their mourning clothes and re enter into society (p 14).  The Chinese took great effort to show their respect and grief for when their loved ones and rulers passed on. This was not only a way to show their sadness, but also to show discipline and piety. 

  The casing made of jade that would cover a deceased king in ancient China