White, or plain dark clothing, and absolutely nothing red. That is Chinese funeral attire for a guest, and the red rule is the firmest thing on this page — red signifies joy and celebration, and wearing it to a funeral is a real error rather than a small misjudgement.
This page is written for someone attending as a guest: a colleague, a neighbour, a partner's family. Practice varies a great deal — Buddhist, Taoist, Christian and secular Chinese funerals differ, and families outside China differ again — so the aim here is the handful of things that are firm, and the confidence to ask about the rest.
For the general rules, see the funeral attire guide or what to wear to a funeral.
Get white-or-dark right and avoid red, and the rest is detail.
Chinese funeral colors invert the Western convention in one direction and reinforce it in another, which is why they confuse people.
White is the traditional colour of mourning. It signifies death and grief, which is exactly why it is worn at funerals and avoided at celebrations. Undyed, plain, unbleached cloth carries the strongest association.
Black is also entirely acceptable now, particularly in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and among diaspora families, and at any Christian Chinese service. If you own a dark suit or a dark dress, you are appropriately dressed. Navy and grey are equally fine.
Red is the one to be certain about. Red is the colour of luck, joy, weddings and New Year. It has no place at a funeral, and unlike most of the conventions on this site, this is not a soft preference — it will be noticed and it will read as either careless or actively unlucky.
Check for red before you leave: a tie, a scarf, a patterned lining, a bright bag, socks. It hides in accessories more often than in the main garment.
Also avoid bright pink, orange and gold for the same reason: they are festive colours.
This is the mirror image of the question most Western readers arrive with — see do you have to wear black to a funeral — and it is a convention shared, for different reasons, with Indian funeral attire, where white is also the mourning colour.
Working out what to wear to a chinese funeral as a guest is straightforward once the colour is settled.
For women:
For men:
A plain white shirt is the single most useful item for either. A simple chinese funeral outfit of dark trousers and a white shirt is correct almost everywhere, and it is what a great many people in the room will be wearing.
The garments themselves are the Western ones, so only the colour rule is different here. Our guide to what to wear to a funeral for men covers the suit, the shirt and the tie in full, including what to do if you own no suit at all.
You are not expected to wear Chinese clothing. Western dress in the right colours is completely appropriate, and a guest turning up in borrowed traditional dress lands awkwardly rather than respectfully.
You will see the immediate family dressed differently from everyone else, and it is worth knowing why so it does not read as a dress code you have failed.
Traditional chinese funeral attire for the family is graded by relationship to the deceased. In the fullest version, the children of the person who died wear the coarsest, plainest cloth — undyed hemp or sackcloth — with grandchildren, in-laws and more distant relatives in progressively lighter grades and finer fabrics. Some families still wear these; many now use a simpler marker such as a black armband, a white headband, or a small cloth badge pinned to the sleeve.
None of this applies to a guest. You are not part of the grading system and should not try to join it. If the family hands you a small white or black cloth to wear, put it on — that is an invitation and it is the exception.
A separate question, and one people search for when they are arranging a funeral rather than attending one.
Traditional chinese funeral clothes for the person who has died are usually called longevity garments — prepared in advance in many families, sometimes bought by the person themselves while living, which is considered auspicious rather than morbid.
A few points that come up:
If you are the one arranging this, the funeral director will know local custom and will ask. Chinese funeral clothes for the deceased are one of the things families most often want to get right and most often have nobody to ask about, so raise it early rather than late.
The most common practical mistake a Western guest makes, and it has nothing to do with clothes.
Money is frequently given at a Chinese funeral to help with costs. It goes in a plain white envelope — never a red one. The red packet is for weddings, birthdays and New Year, and bringing one to a funeral inverts the meaning completely.
Knowing the shape of the event removes most of the worry, and no attire page covers it.
The most useful thing to know is how much this varies.
Diaspora families in the US, UK, Canada and Australia frequently blend these with local convention, so the funeral you attend may be much simpler than anything described here.
The one place a Western parent is most likely to get this wrong, and it is worth stating plainly: red is the default colour for Chinese children's clothing, because it carries luck. A child's wardrobe is often full of it, and at a funeral it is the single worst thing they could arrive in.
Our general guide to funeral clothes for kids covers the Western default, where the advice runs almost exactly the other way.
The single most useful thing on this page is that asking is normal and welcome.
Chinese funeral customs differ by region, by religion, by generation and by how long a family has lived outside China. Nobody expects a guest from another background to know which version they are attending, and one sentence — "I want to make sure I do the right thing, is there anything I should know?" — will get you a clear answer and be received as care.
If the family has asked for something specific, that request outranks everything on this page.
For families choosing an urn, our guide to an urn that honours faith and culture covers what to look for, and cloisonne urns — enamel over metal, a craft with a long Chinese history — are a traditional choice.
Can I wear black to a Chinese funeral? Yes. Black is entirely acceptable and is now common, particularly among diaspora families and at Christian services. White is the older mourning colour and equally correct.
Why can't I wear red? Red signifies joy, luck and celebration — it is the colour of weddings and New Year. At a funeral it inverts the meaning of the occasion, and it is noticed.
Should I bring anything? Often a white envelope with money toward costs, and sometimes white flowers. Ask whoever invited you; at many services neither is expected.
Do I need to bow or take incense? You will usually be invited to. Follow the person ahead of you, and if you would prefer not to take incense, a bow alone is completely acceptable.
How long should I stay at the wake? Wakes often run over several evenings and guests come and go. A short visit is normal.
White or plain dark, nothing red, modest and covered. Bring a white envelope if you are giving money. Follow the person in front of you at the front of the room.
Chinese funeral practice varies more than any single page can capture, and nobody expects you to have learned it. Getting the colour right and asking about the rest is the whole of what is being asked of you.
