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A family in Taiwan keeps this papermaking tradition alive

They make joss paper, also called 'spirit money'

It's burnt as an offering to deities and ancestors

The Chens still make it by hand and have done for a century

(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 70-YEAR-OLD JOSS PAPER FACTORY WORKER, CHEN FENG-E, SAYING:

"Oh, I've been doing this for more than 10 years. It's really hard to count how many sheets a day I'm making, for example one stack like this is already more than 100 sheets."

Families burn the paper while praying for offspring, prosperity and longevity

(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) DAUGHTER OF JOSS PAPER FACTORY OWNER, CHEN MIAO-FANG, SAYING:

"Now, this (joss paper) is glued by hand, not like mass production at other places where customers can specify the quantity that they want. So, this (sort of manufacturing) is slowly turning into a dying industry and will slowly fade away. In the future this might all be replaced by machines."

It's burned during all holidays in Taiwan

But mostly during Lunar New Year and the 'ghost month' around August