However, some printed notes omit the word "hell" and sometimes will replace it with "heaven" or "paradise". People believe that even in the earthy court, spirits need to use money.Ī story says that the word hell was introduced to China by Christian missionaries, who preached that all non-Christian Chinese people would "go to hell" when they died, and through a case of misinterpretation, it was believed that the word "Hell" was the proper English term for the afterlife, and hence the word was adopted. After being judged they are either escorted to heaven or sent into the maze of underground levels and chambers to atone for their sins. In traditional Chinese beliefs, it is thought to be where the souls of the dead are first judged by the Lord of the Earthly Court (Yan Wang). The word hell on hell bank notes refers to Diyu (, meaning "underworld prison"), which is also called dìfǔ (Chinese: 地府 meaning "underworld court"). The identification of this type of joss paper as "hell bank notes" and singling them out is largely a western phenomenon, since these items are simply regarded as yet another form of joss paper (冥幣, 陰司紙, 紙錢, or 金紙) in East Asian cultures and have no special name or status. The notes are not an officially recognized currency or legal tender since their sole intended purpose is to be offered as burnt-offerings to the deceased as often practiced by the Chinese and several East Asian cultures.
Early 20th century examples took the resemblance of minor commercial currency of the type issued by businesses across China until the mid 1940s.
This faux money has been in use since at least the late 19th century and possibly much earlier. Hell bank notes are a form of joss paper printed to resemble legal tender bank notes.
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