China Naming Network - Almanac query - What does it mean to beat a student?

What does it mean to beat a student?

"Beating a living person" is a Chinese folk custom in front of buildings. From a modern perspective, this custom is both horrific and horrifying. It involves burying one or two children alive on the construction site before the construction project begins. The purpose is to ensure that the project goes smoothly.

It is said that this method was first proposed by Lu Ban. When people break ground in a place, it will destroy the feng shui of the place and offend the evil spirits of the place. As a result, accidents often occur during the construction period. Therefore, "live pile driving" emerged, burying children alive on construction sites to suppress evil spirits and reduce accidents.

In ancient times, it was said that before a bridge was built, a boy and a girl were captured alive and buried alive in the piers at the head of the bridge, while the girl was buried alive in the piers at the end of the bridge. Once completed, they will become the guardians of the bridge. Hong Kong's senior media person Wai Ke-shun said that when the construction of Haizhu Bridge in Guangzhou started, there were also legends about driving piles.