The Demon-Queller Zhong Kui

Posters of images like this are customarily hung on doors for protection during the May Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu). The central vase contains sweet flag, a flowering wetland grass with a strong aroma deemed capable of warding off poisonous insects and evil forces. The figure to the right, holding a sword, is Zhong Kui, a deity who exorcises ghosts and evil spirits. His image is commonly painted on household gates and the doors of shops and other businesses as a guardian spirit.