Taking ‘Wandering Gods’ to the movies – a colourful folk tradition observed by many in southeastern China brings Spring Festival alive

At a cinema earlier this month in China’s southeastern Fujian province, seats in the front row were not occupied by the usual audience. Instead, they were filled by a couple of large brightly-coloured paper effigies of local gods holding boxes of popcorn and drinks in their hands.

This display is part of a series of local traditional activities called youshen, which literally means “Wandering Gods”, but in reality it is more commonly referred to in Chinese custom as “Patrolling Gods”. Youshen is an annual event that is usually held in the two weeks following the Lunar New Year.

The customs remain popular in Fujian and are recognised as an intangible cultural heritage by the Chinese government.

It’s common during youshen celebration period to see local people carrying effigies of deities on their shoulders as they walk around the communities, with gongs and drums beating and firework displays.

Residents show their respect for the gods, hoping they will bless them with peace, favourable farming weather and good fortune.

A local man, surnamed Gao, who works at the Fujian’s capital city Fuzhou said that in the past, they invited the gods to watch traditional operas. However, since it’s hard to find opera venues nowadays, he said someone had the idea to take the gods to the movies instead, news portal Jiupai News reports.