How much money we burn per year in Taiwan | PoChun Chen | TEDxEmilyCarrU

PoChun Chen details a surprising part of Taiwanese culture, and how it can help us rethink our relationship with the environment.

Chen is a Taiwanese independent filmmaker, photographer, and film student at Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Her works include narrative short films, experimental films, and fashion filmmaking for European and local brands. Aside from narrative filmmaking, she has an interest in environmental preservation, waste reduction, recycling, human activity, and how to link artistic practices with an environmentally-conscious mindset. With the belief that media is the strongest and most influential means to educate, she hopes that through her practice, she can spread the goal of caring for the environment through film and photography.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

What if I told you that we burn

more than 500 million dollars
per year in Taiwan alone.

You probably will say,

"Wait a minute, you burn money?"

No, no, no, I'm talking about paper money.

In English, it's called "just paper,"
and it's a tradition that has been around

for a long time in Taiwan
and other Asian countries.

So what is paper money?

Paper money is as simple as the word.

It's artificial money made of paper.

We produce this money,
not purely for economic reasons,

but to literally burn it
for our loved ones who have passed away:

our ancestors, spirits, and gods.

The idea is that the burning of just paper

will ensure our deceased will make
their way to a better afterlife.

Essentially, we are using real currency
to buy a fake paper version of it

that we can burn for them
as a part of the mourning process.

I got these pictures from Catherine Goethe
when she went to Taiwan

as a tourist 20 years ago.

She took this picture when she had
no idea what was happening

and why people were doing this,

and it's probably
the best picture I can get.

It can be considered disrespectful
to photograph the burning just paper

since it's usually burned at the places
with high spiritual energy.

As you could probably tell,

there's a lot of superstitions
associated with just paper.

Well, I think it's important to understand
why most people want to do this.

What if your culture tells you
if you don't burn paper money,

your ancestor will not have
a better quality afterlife,

and your living family member
will no longer be blessed.

Nobody wants that, right?

In a way, it's kind of like you're praying
before you eat to bless your meal,

or a sports coach praying before
the big game, so the players will win.

There's actually quite a large industry
for the paper money,

and it has evolved beyond
replicating just money.

In fact, this paper
is modeled to look like

iPads,

phones,

cigarettes,

and even paper massage chairs
for the afterlife.

Yes, and some of them
are surprisingly detailed.

Now, just take a moment to think about

what 500 million dollars
would look like burning.

I would imagine a huge dark cloud
of smoke rising into the air,

ashes blowing in the wind.

If you think about it,
there's a lot of waste being produced.

So, if you think about it,

it's kind of ridiculous
that we are using real money

to buy fake money that we can burn.

After all, why would anyone spend
on something they are just going to burn?

Let's simplify the concept a little bit.

We are buying something that we will
only use once and then get rid of it.

Think about what did you buy recently
you only used once before you threw away.

How many of you bought a coffee this week
and didn't bring your own mug,

or got a plastic bag at check out?

Research shows that more
than 91% of plastic is not recycled,

and the average person generates
two kilograms of trash every single day.

It's hard to change someone's mind,

especially when it comes
to culture and a tradition.

But in the end,
we should all ask ourselves,

"How much money do we burn?"

Thank you.

(Applause)