Pray to God of Wealth

After 5 days of closing the Spring Festival, all of the stores in Zhouzhuang are opened on the fifth day of the first lunar month to welcome the God of Wealth, followed by drums, fireworks and tributes.

Business Man, who believes Guanyu, a legendary warlord in the Three Kingdom period and as famous as Confucius for Chinese people, pays tribute, sets fireworks and kowtows on his knees, asking the saint to bless them wealthy and successful.

Gu Tieqin, a writer of the Qing Dynasty, described the celebration by quoting a poem in his book, "Qingjialu", a book recording and describing the local festivals and custom of Suzhou and its surrounding areas:

For the whole year’s wealth,

People pray on the fifth day of the first lunar month;

To be earlier than others,

They begin the night before.

By Mei Qiyue