Qing Ming- The Story Behind Popiah

The Qing Ming Festival is an important Chinese traditional festival, which is also known as Tomb Sweeping Day. The word Qing Ming 清明 meaning clear and bright, is a day when Chinese family take time off for a day of remembrance and mourning in honor of ancestors.


Ancestor worship is very deep rooted in China and elsewhere in the world.  According to Confucius, concepts of filial to the elders and honouring their ancestors are two vital characteristics. The Chinese believe their ancestors are keeping an eye on them unlike the Christian belief that their ancestors go to heaven (if they are  good person) and that's nothing left except the remains of a body that lies in the grave.

Qing Ming usually falls on either April 4th or 5th of the Gregorian calendar. The practise of filial piety has resulted ethnic Chinese living away from home will travel back to meet their family and pay respects to their ancestors at the burial grounds.

Generally, you can honour the ancestors at the temples, grave site or crematoriums a week before and two weeks after Qing Ming.

It is difficult to ascertain whether or not our departed ancestors have actually consume 
the food offered to them

In accordance with traditional folk beliefs, Chinese communities usually believe in the spirits of deceased ancestors will look after the well-being of the living descendants. Seasonal offering of food, spirit money and rituals could keep them appeased. The family would prosper through reap an abundant harvest and more children added to the family.

Before ritual ending we need to seek ancestor's blessings by throwing the red token on the air and let it fall as a sign of ancestral approval. The result should show one side of the token 'opened' and another 'closed'. Just like you send SMS make sure the confirmation of receipt from the phone your messages has been sent successfully.

Star trek style beam the M-car up to another world by burning paper car

It is age old tradition for elder and young family members to arrived early in the morning for the purpose to  clean up the tomb by sweep away the dirt and pull out weeds that has overgrown around the grave.

The Qing Ming Festival in Malaysia and Singapore normally starts early in the morning by paying respect to distant ancestors from China at home altars.

The celebration of the festival has its origin from “Hanshi Day”(寒食節), literally translated as cold food day, celebrated for three consecutive days starting the day before the Qing Ming.
Popiah is commonly eaten in Fujian province of China (usually in Xiamen) and its neighbouring Chaoshan on the Qingming Festival.

It is believed that the Qingming Festival was originally held to commemorate a loyal court official named  介之推 or Jiè Zǐtuī, who lived in the Spring and Autumn (770 - 476 BC).

Hanshi Day to honour Jie's memory

This is the story behind Qingming.

As legend goes, there was much fighting for the throne during the period of the Warring States (771-476 BC).

Duke Xiao was the monarch of the state of Jin. His eldest son, Shen Sheng was the first in line to inherit the throne followed by his second eldest son, Chong'er but Duke Xiao had other plans. Strangely he preferred the son of his favourite concubine, Li Ji, to succeed him.
The cunning Li Ji plotted to discredit Shen sheng by tarnishing his reputation, shortly leading to Shen sheng's suicide.

Duke Xiao was a cruel man whose unfatherly attitude towards his son. He had  plots to murder his second eldest son, Chong'er.

Fortunately, someone had somehow leaked out the news of an assassination plot against him. This provide enough time for him to escape. Chong'er sneaked out of the capital and fled with only a handful of followers at his side.

This event led to a civil war in Jin, known as the Li Ji Unrest, where Duke Xian led an army fighting several campaigns against his own sons, forcing them to flee.

Assassination attempt on Chong-er failed

Chong'er tired, hungry and helpless, he wanders aimlessly for many years

At one time, Chong'er had been lacking food for months and looked like he almost died from starvation. Jie Zitui, the most loyal followers would cut a piece of meat from his owns thigh to prepare the soup to save Chong'er life. He was so moved with Jie's sacrifice that he promised a handsome reward to Jiè Zǐtuī, if one day he would become king.

It's hard to accept such myth of noble sacrifice

After exile in 19 years, Chong'er returned to his kingdom after the death of Duke Hui(half brother), he was installed to become as the Duke Wen  晉文公, new ruler of Jin.

Truth in His Word. Duke Wen kept his promises and rewarded all those who help him along the way but one very important person slipped his mind. Jie Zitui was heartbroken and felt he was ignored and neglected, thus went away. Later Chong'er remembered back Jie Zitui's sacrifices and immediately sent his people to look for him.

Eventually they located him. Chong'er went personally to apologise and ask him to return to the royal court. By the time Jie Zitui moved to a different location to avoid being detected, live in seclusion and went deep into the mountains. So no one could find him again.
Isn't he just too sensitive? I don't understand why he's willing to sacrifice himself to save Duke Wen but heartache when his devotion deprive him of any reward or maybe he did not ask for wealth but he's just being frustrated with being forgotten.

Duke Wen travelled to the mountain searching to reward Jie Zitui personally, but couldn’t locate him due to thick shrouded forest. He sought drastic suggestion and without much thought, foolishly heeded the idea from one of his “dumb” officials. Duke Wen instructed his men to set the mountains to be burned down in order to flushed Jie out from his hiding place.



  OH GOD, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THEM!

So sad. Jie Zitui was found leaning against a large tree, carrying his
 old mother on his back. Both died.

Sadly the idea backfired, Jie persist never give in and the fire ended up both Zhitui and his mother died perished in the fire. Duke Wen was filled with remorse for having ordered his troops to intentionally setting fire to the mountain but has had unfortunate consequences.

He gave instructions that each year during these three days the setting of fire is forbidden – all food was to be consumed cold. That's how the festival gets its name and practise begins.

One year later, the Duke returned to the mountain and found that there has been a revival of all the burnt willows. He was unable to reward Jie kindness and felt he must do something in return to repay his debt of gratitude.
He swept the tomb and instruct his people to clear the surrounding by pull out weeds and trim shrubs that has overgrown around the grave.

Duke Wen declared every year on that day folks mourned for him. The day after Hanshi Festival to be continue with Qingming Festival. The two festivals were later merged with Qingming Festival as one.

There are still some of Fujian people who still practise the tradition of no fire or smoke is allowed and people shall eat cold food for the whole day in respect to the statesman Jie Zitui. However in Korea, where the festival is called Hansik (hangul: 한식), the tradition of ancestral worship during the Cold Food Festival still remains unchanged.

Chong'er regretted enormously, its a big price to pay for this.

Mother and child statue Jie
Duke Wen buried his savior at the foot of Mt. Mian, built up a temple to commemorate Jie Zitui. Mt. Mian
was renamed Mt. Jie Xiu. Meaning in Chinese - the place where Jie Zitui rested.

The popiah is of Southeastern Chinese origins, originating in the Fujian province. It is eaten during spring when there was an abundance of vegetable.

The term Popiah literally translated in Hokkien meaning "thin pancake", a thin layer wrapper stuffed with a variety of goodies such as pre-cooked vegetable of mainly finely grated and steamed or stir-fried yam bean, it is better known by its Chinese name bang kuang which has been cooked with a combination of other ingredients such as bean sprouts, grated carrots, slices of Chinese sausage, thinly sliced fried tofu, chopped peanuts, fried shallots, and egg shredded omelette and dressed with sweet and chili sauce.

Also known as 潤餅, or “run bing,  I like the wet version popiah more than the deep-fried spring roll

Most of the ingredients are pre-cooked. Once you're ready to eat, the roll is ready for wrapping. You just add ingredients up, dip it in chili sauce and sweet sauce.

The Chinese popiah has also been influenced with ingredient of the local culture to suit local flavour preferences such as when you tried at Penang hawker stall you'll found mix with fried pork lard.

Perhaps someday even these traditions will be abandoned, but for now they still provide a strong bond link between past and present. As long as the teaching of Confucian philosophy of filial piety ( 孝, xiào) to show respect for ones elders and and ones ancestors practises still thrive and remain strong then we assured that we can still able to cling to traditional of Qing Ming well into the 21st century and beyond.