Explainer | China folk custom beats women to boost fertility, with dire consequences for not conceiving
Ancient ritual saw women beaten with bamboo sticks, brooms, wooden clubs; in variation of tradition, women were held over a fire
An uncivilised folk custom in ancient China known as Pai Xi, or “Beating for Joy”, involved striking women with sticks in an attempt to exorcise evil spirits and pray for conception.
Pai Xi, also known as Da Sheng, meaning “Beating for Birth”, is believed to have originated in southern China, particularly in Jiangsu and Fujian provinces.
It was a fertility ritual that gained popularity during the Song dynasty (960–1279).
According to the Records of National Customs of China, in rural areas of Taixing, Jiangsu province in southeastern China, on the Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the first lunar month, if a woman had not conceived within two years of marriage, she would be dragged out of her home and chased through the village.
Villagers would strike her with bamboo sticks, brooms or wooden clubs.