Interesting Facts About China

Color Reversal

In the Western world, black is typically the color associated with mourning. As such, most people in the United States would wear black when attending funerals. In China, however, white is the color that represents grieving. Because of this, funeral attendees would typically wear white clothing.

While black and other somber colors are permitted nowadays, it is still fairly common for close family members of the deceased to wear white. In fact, the invitations to the funeral are also normally white. The only exception comes when the deceased was over 80 years old- in this case, pink invitations are used, and pink clothing is permitted. This is because it is believed that living for 80 years or more is a feat worth celebrating.