1930s China through American eyes

The Interior of Joss House Tieantsin

This is the interior of a native temple or joss house in the city of Tiantsin (modern day Tianjin). Among the Chinese one finds a temple frequently alluded to as a joss house, for example, a god's house, and the incense stick that is burned there and before the images in people's own homes is called a joss stick. Some of these Chinese joss houses are very handsome, filled with expensive and beautiful carved woodwork and ornaments. These temples are open night and day, and are freely resorted to by the public. Most of them have Buddhist priests in attendance. However, other priests may be in the same temple with these Buddhist priests, as a Chinese person may be a devout follower of the teachings both of Buddha and Confucius, and at the same time a Taoist as well.

In these temples, the worship, even when thousands are present, is entirely individual. Each person strikes the drum and bell to awake the god, and burns his own paper prayers and joss stick. In times of drought or pestilence, the magistrate must go as a penitent to the joss house to implore the deity to avert the trouble.

[Photo provided to China Daily/Keystone View Company]