The Worship of Money and Luck

Chinese today are said to worship only money.  That appears largely to be true, although obviously a broad generalization.  There are plenty of places of worship here these days, including a lot of Christian churches, and the government is tepidly and cautiously promoting “traditional” religion with a view to restoring some sort of ethical base in Chinese society.  The government sees Confucian philosophy in a positive light for the obvious reason that it promotes filial piety, which places the state (substitute Party in this case) at the apex of society and as the ultimate object of filial duty. 

However, in terms of what one sees here in everyday life, money and luck are the ultimate objects of Chinese devotion.   This is appears not to be a modern phenomenon, in spite of the oft-heard lament here that people have in this generation lost their ethical compass.  Perhaps this claim is partly true, with the trauma of the Cultural Revolution and the attendant deliberate destruction of tradition taking its toll on subsequent generations.  My own take is that even in traditional religion people sought protection rather than moral guidance.  In other societies and religions there is also this element to some extent, but it seems to be more pronounced in China.

If true, why would this be the case?  In my view it comes down to the lack of the rule of law or social compact.  China claims to be subject to the rule of law, but that is not the case in the usual sense of the term.  Law is applied selectively here and power is exercised in an arbitrary fashion.  There is very little ability to reliably predict the future, or guarantee that one’s assets are not seized under some legal pretext.  Even a traffic accident that is entirely the fault of the other party can result in significant financial pain.  In business entire industries can be wiped out overnight, with no recourse, due to an arbitrary change in policy.  There is no discussion and no forewarning.  In business disputes, powerful enemies can coopt the corrupt court system to attack business rivals.   Cash-starved government agencies impose arbitrary fines on businesses to help boost dwindling coffers.  Again, no recourse is available.

For those with powerful allies (guanxi) there is some protection from some kinds of the arbitrary exercise of power some of the time, but no-one is immune all the time.  So luck and money are seen as essential to survival.  Money can help buy protection or an escape route.  With good luck accidents and illness might be avoided.  Being ethical and in ethical society is not only worthy, but will probably serve you well, but here a person who trusts the system is seen as a fool.  The system is not going to protect you, and it is certainly not your friend.  And this is the way it has always been.  You are more likely to get help by burning some fake banknotes for the Money God during the Spring Festival and burning some candles to Guanying, the Goddess of Mercy and other deities that might bring good fortune.