- A Hong Kong shop crafts paper cars for traditional funerals.
- Replicas include the AE86, Tesla Model S, and Alfa Romeo Giulia.
- The paper models are designed to be burned during the ritual.
In the West, a car enthusiast’s family orders a birthday cake shaped like the model he’s spent a decade talking about, and that’s usually the extent of the tribute. Head to the far East and the gesture works differently, because the gift isn’t handed over while the recipient is still around to appreciate it. It waits until after the funeral.
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Paper offerings are standard at Chinese funerals. Houses, clothing, stacks of money, all of it built to be set alight rather than kept. The traditional practice of Zhizha holds that fire and smoke can transfer a physical object into the spirit realm, where the deceased takes ownership and gets to enjoy it in the afterlife. Burn the replica here, and the real thing shows up there.
Dachanglong Paper Number / Instagram
While I had heard about this custom, I had never seen it applied to life-sized automobiles. That’s until I came across the Instagram profile of a historic shop in Hong Kong called Dachanglong Paper Number, which has been in the paper craft business and funeral services since the 1950s.
Dachanglong Paper Number / Instagram
The shop creates paper replicas of all kinds of items, including a surprisingly broad range of cars. Examples include an Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce sedan, a Porsche Boxster roadster, and a Land Rover Defender SUV.
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Dachanglong Paper Number / Instagram
Fans of Japanese vehicles might prefer the classic Toyota AE86 Trueno with the operational headlights and fog lights, or the more modern Nissan R35 GT-R Nismo with a fixed rear spoiler and quad tailpipes.
Of course, there are those who used to drive EVs before their death so the shop has built a Tesla Model S, a Zeekr X, a Smart #1 and a BMW iX. As for German classics, there is a shiny gold Mercedes E-Class W210 and a white VW Beetle 1300.
Most paper automobiles feature a frame made of bamboo strips, transparent film for the windows, paper wheels, detailed interior layouts with seats and paper driver mannequins dressed in a shirt and tie. Their proportions and styling features may be a bit off, but no one would expect a truly faithful representation of a car destined to be lit up.
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Dachanglong Paper Number keeps pricing to itself, presumably because everything is made to order. Still, they are significantly cheaper than the functional models you get from a dealer. They are also easier to burn, which means they will make it to heaven a lot faster. The question is which one would you like to be made for you after you say goodbye to this world?
Dachanglong Paper Number / Facebook
View this post on InstagramA post shared by 大昌隆紙號 (@tclhk1960)
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View this post on InstagramA post shared by 大昌隆紙號 (@tclhk1960)