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Invest in coins to pray for blessings

Small Japanese yen coins at the receiving point

Money in glass display cabinet of hall model at the Daming Palace National Heritage Park.

Money in Glass Display Cabinet of Stone Statue at Qin Er Shi Mausoleum

A tree root with a large amount of coins stuffed inside the Dazhao Temple in Hohhot

Coin prayer refers to the throwing of coins to specific things such as rivers, lakes, ponds, wells, fountains, statues, bells, vehicles and other things to pray for, disasters and make wishes.

The coin offering is sometimes accompanied by a certain throwing game, such as asking the coin to hit a specific target, such as a censer, a bell, or money, or throwing it into a specific position, such as inside the incense burner, through the eyes of money.

China

Religious beliefs influence

At the beginning of the late Qing Dynasty, some religious sites began to set up coin games for tourists to entertain.Beijing White Cloud Temple's "hit the money eye" game dates back at least to the early 1920s, when the opera artist Wu Mei came to White Cloud Temple and saw the clock hanging under the gate bridge of White Cloud Temple. Tourists throw money at the clock and are considered "great luck" if they can hit it. Published in 1935, the Antiquities of the Ancient Capital specifically mentioned that the White Cloud Temple Coin Bureau did not have steps for people to go downstairs to collect money. On the nineteenth day of the first lunar month alone, during the ten-day temple, visitors can throw tens of thousands of coins, enough to watch the Taoists spend a year.

Influenced by the view of the White Cloud Temple, other temples around Beijing have also begun to set up games to raise money from tourists and pilgrims.Such as the Dongyue Temple "invest money for children" game, Chueh-sheng Temple "hit the bell eye" game.With the development of tourism, the game has spread to religious sites across mainland China.Many attractions, such as The tallest peak is Jade Emperor Peak, have dedicated staff to help visitors easily exchange coins.

All animals that are considered spiritual, historical sites with beautiful moral meanings are placed in large amounts of coins, which not only increases the burden on the staff of the attraction, but also destroys the scenery and animal environment.

Western cultural influences

With the introduction of European and American culture to China,Europe's wishing well is well known to the Chinese public.

The classic American romantic love movie "Roman Holiday" was translated by Changchun Film Studio and released in mainland China in 1986, sparking a movie-watching frenzy.Not only did the heroine's hairstyle and costume become fashionable at the time, but the plot of Trevi Fountain tossing a coin to make a wish became a classic memory of love and romance for a generation.Due to this, some attractions have changed their names to Wish Pool, or built new Wish Pool, such as m in Jade Emperor's Hall in Zunyi Jinding Mountain, Hongdong Guangji Temple's release pool, and Suzhou Shuiyue Temple's release pool.

The popularity of the Western wish pool culture has also had another impact, that is, many tourists will actively deposit coins in any water storage area in the scenic spot. In addition to the specially designed wish pool, fountains, water tanks and fish ponds have become objects of coinage. Tourists not only put coins in Buddhist temples, Taoist temples and other religious places for blessing, but also put coins in some places that are not suitable for blessing, such as the pool in the Peace Park on the west side of the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre of Japanese Invaders, the glass curtain wall of the Leifeng Pagoda site, around the dinosaurized

Coins of the Copper Mine Model in Tonglushan, Hubei Provincial Museum

stone skeleton of the National Natural History Museum of China, the sarcophagus in Luoyang Museum, and the display cabinet of Terra Cotta Warriors in Shaanxi History Museum.Some potholes, caves, and glass covers in scenic areas are also used for coin placement.

Negative effects

The change in front of the bronze statue of Emperor Yongle Zhu Di at the Ling'en Palace, Ming Dynasty

In January 2016, according to a report by West China City Daily, a Three Gorges hanging coffin in the exhibition hall of Wushan Museum in Chongqing was filled with Chinese yuan dropped by tourists. The remains of ancient people inside the coffin were completely obscured by the coins and could not be seen clearly.

During the Spring Festival in January 2017, the Yangtze crocodile pool and the crocodile turtle exhibition pool at Shanghai Zoo were put into hundreds of coins by some visitors. According to the reporter, some tourists cast coins to pray for longevity animals, but there are also tourists, because some animals are not active enough in winter to wake up animals with coins and test their reactions.

On March 5, 2017, a 20-year-old turtle died of suffocation after swallowing coins thrown by tourists at SeaWorld in Hunan Martyr's Park, Changsha City.

Insert coin into airplane engine

On June 27, 2017, a China Southern Airlines flight from Shanghai Pudong Airport to Guangzhou was delayed when an elderly woman in her eighties was found tossing coins into the aircraft's engine for good luck during boarding. This incident garnered significant social attention after being reported. Media figure Xi Po published a commentary titled "Tossing Coins into Airplane Engines for Good Luck: Bad Habits Are Just That" in the New Beijing News, likening this act to the medieval Catholic Church's sale of indulgences and emphasizing that such behavior fundamentally violates order or rules and constitutes a bad habit.

On July 27, 2017, on a Shenzhen Airlines flight from Nanning with a stopover in Wuhan en route to Shenyang, a man stood on the boarding stairs and threw coins towards the direction of the aircraft engine. Subsequently, the flight was canceled for aircraft inspection. Li, the individual involved, directly caused the need for aircraft maintenance, passenger delays, and flight cancellation, resulting in an economic loss totaling over 70,000 yuan. In September of the same year, Shenzhen Airlines sued Li in the Huangpi District People's Court of Wuhan, seeking full compensation for the economic loss of over 70,000 yuan. In the first instance, the court ruled in favor of the airline's claim and ordered Li to pay over 70,000 yuan in compensation. Li then appealed, arguing that the airline's calculation of economic losses lacked supporting evidence and that he should only bear partial responsibility. The Wuhan Intermediate People's Court issued a second-instance judgment, and the parties reached a settlement, with Li agreeing to compensate the airline for over 50,000 yuan. Subsequently, Li made the payment and also bore the first and second instance court fees totaling 1,510 yuan.

On October 18, 2017, during Lucky Air flight 8L9960 from Anqing to Kunming, a passenger at Anqing Airport threw an object towards the aircraft's engine. Airport maintenance staff promptly intervened upon discovery and thoroughly inspected the aircraft, finding a coin near the engine. Law enforcement authorities subsequently detained and investigated the involved passenger. To ensure flight safety, Lucky Air canceled the flight for the day and conducted a comprehensive engine inspection. On February 17, 2019, during Lucky Air flight 8L9960 from Anqing to Kunming, personnel conducting a pre-flight check discovered two coins near the left engine. Following inquiries made over the intercom by the flight crew, a 28-year-old male passenger admitted to throwing coins for luck. This incident resulted in direct economic losses exceeding 140,000 yuan for Lucky Air. On March 10, Lucky Air flight 8L9616 from Jinan to Chengdu encountered a similar incident. During boarding at Jinan, flight attendants observed two female passengers tossing coins outside the jet bridge. The passengers involved were promptly handed over to airport security, resulting in a two-hour flight delay.

On April 2, 2019, at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, a man, following his mother-in-law's advice, threw three coins into the aircraft's engine for "good luck," resulting in a 30-minute flight delay affecting hundreds of passengers. The man was subsequently detained for 10 days as an administrative penalty.

On April 16, 2019, aboard Tianjin Airlines flight GS6681 from Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, to Chifeng, a 66-year-old passenger threw six coins towards the aircraft engine for good luck at the boarding gate. Subsequently, the passenger was given a 10-day administrative detention as punishment.

On April 20, 2019, China Southern Airlines flight CZ8427 from Nanning to Bangkok was delayed because a passenger threw coins at the aircraft for good luck. The passenger, claiming to be a first-time flyer, tossed six coins toward the aircraft's nose at the door-bridge junction. All coins were recovered, but the flight was delayed by 78 minutes for inspection. The passenger was subsequently detained by public security authorities in accordance with the law.

On June 4, 2019, a warning sign at Sanya Phoenix Airport stating "Warning: Throwing coins at airplanes for good luck is an illegal act that jeopardizes safety and blessings" sparked renewed social discussion after circulating online.

On October 29, 2023, at 9:00 a.m., during boarding for China Southern Airlines flight CZ3121 from Guangzhou Baiyun to Beijing Daxing, maintenance staff discovered a passenger throwing coins towards the aircraft. Immediate safety checks were conducted, and two coins were found near the aircraft's underbelly. Subsequently, China Southern Airlines conducted a comprehensive inspection, resulting in the delay of the flight. The involved passenger was taken away by airport security for further investigation.

On March 6, 2024, China Southern Airlines flight CZ8805 from Sanya to Beijing was delayed by 4 hours due to a passenger throwing coins into the aircraft. The individual involved has been taken away by airport security for investigation.

Remedial measures

The attitudes towards tourists' coin tossing behavior vary among different non-religious scenic spots. The Ming Tombs (Thirteen Tombs) Scenic Area adopts a stance of neither encouraging nor prohibiting this behavior, with a set of "Tourist Coin Tossing Management Regulations" in place to govern the handling of coins tossed by visitors. Staff at the scenic area conduct centralized cleaning after closing, typically collecting and counting coins every 10 days during peak season and every 15 days during off-peak season, yielding an annual collection of tens of thousands of RMB. As per the scenic area's regulations, coins tossed by visitors cannot be used for staff salaries or bonuses but can be utilized for infrastructure development within the scenic area and for small-scale restoration projects not covered by national cultural heritage preservation funds.

On the other hand, the Yonghe Temple (Lama Temple) in Beijing views coin tossing as disruptive to the scenic area's order and highly damaging to artifacts. In order to protect the cultural relics, the management of the Yonghe Temple scenic area has installed fences, cautionary lines, warning signs, or even glass covers around the artifacts. However, these measures have not yielded ideal results.

Western countries

The Trevi Fountain in the capital of Italy, Rome, has a custom of tossing coins for good luck. Legend has it that if travelers throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, they will return to Rome one day. Approximately €3,000 are thrown into the pool each day. In 2016, around $1.5 million in coins were tossed into the fountain. These coins are used to fund a homeless supermarket in Rome; however, it is illegal and there are often attempts to retrieve the coins from the fountain. There have been reports that the mayor of Rome even once considered using the coins from the fountain to pay off the city's debts.

In Las Vegas, USA, due to the heavy reliance on the gambling industry, luck plays a crucial role, leading many people to toss coins into fountains. Apart from a small portion retrieved by people or lost into drainage systems, most of the coins from these fountains are donated to charity. The Bellagio Hotel alone donates around $12,000 annually from the coins collected from its musical fountain.

India

Indians typically throw coins into sacred rivers like the Ganges and Yamuna. Many people don't know the reason behind this practice and simply follow it as a tradition or custom. It is generally believed that throwing coins into the river is for seeking blessings. Some analysis suggests that this custom originated because rivers were important sources of drinking water in ancient India, and ancient Indian coins were often made of copper or copper alloys. Putting copper into water has a disinfectant effect, which would contribute to the cleanliness of the water for drinking purposes. Therefore, people throwing copper coins into rivers was considered beneficial for water hygiene.

Collecting coins from rivers is permitted. Due to the prevalence of steel coins in modern India, many impoverished individuals use magnets to gather coins from riverbeds, while others dive directly into severely polluted rivers like the Ganges for this purpose.

Thailand

In March 2017, at a pond in Thap Sakae District, Thailand, a 25-year-old turtle suffered from a swollen stomach and a cracked shell due to consuming a large quantity of coins tossed into the water by visitors seeking good luck. The turtle underwent surgery to remove 915 coins weighing 5 kilograms. Unfortunately, it succumbed to post-operative complications two weeks later. Following its death, the turtle was preserved and is now on display at Chulalongkorn University. On June 14th, the university held a traditional Buddhist ceremony for its spiritual benefit.

Japan

In Japan, due to the auspicious pronunciation of "goen" (meaning fate or destiny), the 5-yen coin is often referred to as "fukubukuro" or "lucky money." Many tourist attractions have designated areas for washing these "lucky coins." In Japanese tradition, there is a custom of donating money (known as "kōyūkin") to temples and shrines, typically by placing coins in donation boxes, often using 5-yen coins. However, throwing coins into ponds was not traditionally common. With the increase in foreign tourists, many ponds at tourist sites have accumulated large amounts of coins.

Despite some locations prohibiting the throwing of coins into their ponds, many foreign visitors still do so. For example, at the Oshino Hakkai ponds near Mount Fuji, in July 2015, authorities retrieved 6,300 yen in 1-yen coins, 27,025 yen in other denominations, along with 307 Chinese yuan and Hong Kong dollar coins.