Travel documents and money for Hell, from set of funerary paper offerings

This set of otherworldly travel documents and money is part of a set of funerary paper offerings made for the Chinese community in Singapore. They would be burnt in a Daoist ceremony, for the dead to use as they journey into and around the afterlife.

The documents, made of paper, comprise a Hell passport, air ticket and train ticket (HMRT stands for 'Hell Mass Rapid Transport') and an Otherworld cheque book and visa card. The figure shown on some of the pieces is Yen Lo, chief judge of the dead.

In traditional Chinese belief, the dead must pass through Hell for judgement. They therefore need travel documents and money for bribing the judges to treat them leniently. The living burn paper offerings to help the spirit of the dead in this afterlife.

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Online ID:	000-180-000-766-C
Image Rights Holder:	National Museums Scotland
Project:	0504: National Museums Scotland Part 2 Project description \| View all records in project
Ref:	National Museums Scotland
Date:	1999
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References:	Sheridan, J A (ed). Heaven and Hell and Other Worlds of the Dead. Edinburgh: National Museum of Scotland, 2000.
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