In ancient China, the northeast direction was known to be the devil s gate position. Therefore, two deities namely Shen Du and U Lei took charge of the area to prevent any evil spirits from entering the human realm. They were protected under a branch of the gigantic peach tree. Whenever they see any ghost entering the human realm they will tie the ghosts with hemp strings and throw them into a forest to be eaten by tigers. Since then, all ancient Chinese houses would have two panels carved from peach wood to be hung on doors to drive away evil spirits. Therefore, peach wood is considered to have the functions of luck, warding off evil spirits, and attracting wealth in traditional Chinese culture.

Cinnabar