In ancient China, the burial custom is a matter taken very seriously. People always prepared their own coffins and burial sites when they were alive. They believed that there was life after death and they wanted to bury in coffins to preserve their bodies. Therefore, they paid much attention on their coffins and for rich families, their coffin were made of rare woods and painted with well paintings. It was also regarded as a welcome gift to parents in ancient times.
It is said that when a death occurs, all the mirrors have to be removed as it is believed that if a person sees the reflection of a coffin in a mirror, there will be a death in his family shortly. In Chinese culture, the higher the status the dead person was, the deeper the coffin would be buried.
However, in Chinese, coffin is called guan cai. Guan and official have the same pronunciation while cai and wealth have the same pronunciation. Therefore, coffin has another meaning in Chinese, namely status and wealth. People believed that it is a matter of good luck. That is the reason why we can see the miniature coffins are sold as souvenirs today.
