Shang shou, the first of the fifty-year feasts
In Chaoshan custom the fiftieth year is shang shou, where the birthday rites begin; after it a great celebration is held at each decade, the da sheng ri.
Pronunciation shàng shòu｜Rites of life｜One entry in the Chaoshan glossary
What it means
The fiftieth year is called shang shou and is where the birthday rites begin. From that year on a large celebration is held every ten years, called a great longevity or a great birthday; some families also do the years ending in one, seventy-one, eighty-one and so on. The round decades — sixty, seventy, eighty — get the biggest tables.
Some places avoid the fiftieth, on the view that fifty is half of a hundred, and start at sixty. The Hakka around Jiexi count from fifty-one, and also hold it once every ten years.
When you see it
It is the first threshold of the birthday rites. In that year the celebrant takes the seat of honour at the table and receives the bows of children and guests, and the invitation cards are written more formally than usual.
Words easily confused
Shang shou names an age; it is not the same as holding a great birthday, which is the feast at a decade. Nor is it the same as zuo sheng ri, which can be marked at any age with the family gathered.
Read next: Birthday rites: from shang shou to the cai xian table.
See also: Rites of life: the five thresholds side by side.
Same group: birthday rites, the birthday bows.
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Last revised: 4 November 2026