Chinese village’s ‘magic’ stalk cut down by police because it’s ‘superstitious’
- Villagers had started worship giant sorghum stalk because they believed it had been endowed with supernatural qualities
Local authorities in east China have cut down a giant sorghum stalk that villagers had started venerating for its “magical” qualities.
Police in Heze in Shandong province confirmed that the 5.7-metre (18.7 feet) tall stalk had been uprooted and villagers had been warned their actions were superstitious.
Chinese tradition holds that objects that grow to an unusually large size can sometimes be endowed with magical powers.
In recent days, a video clip of large crowds of villagers worshipping the plant, dubbed the “Magic Sorghum”, in Fangshan village went viral on Chinese social media.
The plant could be seen in a patch of cleared ground outside some rural buildings, with giant lit incense sticks and prayer flags surrounding it.
Peddlers at the site were hawking incense and joss paper, traditionally burned for ceremonial offerings, near the plant.