Digital tombstones, QR code epitaphs, livestreamed rituals: This Qingming Festival, Chinese are turning to digital technologies to remember their ancestors
How do you condense 90 years of life into a single-paragraph epitaph? When Lu Gang’s father passed away last August, Lu found the task impossible. Eventually, he turned to a digital solution instead: three QR codes printed and stuck to his father’s grave. Scanned with a smartphone, they reveal dozens of photos and descriptions of the man’s rich life over decades.
This Qingming festival (清明节), when Chinese traditionally return to the graves of their ancestors to clean them and pay their respects, Lu, from Chongqing, shared images of the QR code on his WeChat feed, so those who knew his father but couldn’t visit his grave could still reflect on his life. The codes have been scanned over 63,000 times so far. “I don’t think he would mind that I put his life into a QR code. He was always passionate about embracing new technologies,” Lu says, recalling how his father, a photographer by trade, was adept at ordering takeout on smartphone apps even into his 80s.
Digital technologies are bringing new twists on traditions to Qingming Festival, funerals, and remembrance of the dead. Livestreamed rituals, digital tombstones, and QR code epitaphs have all spread in recent years, making paying one’s respects more convenient than ever.
In Anji, Zhejiang province, for example, a cemetery offers online memorial services for those who can’t visit in person. “We developed an online memorial app that allows people to register with their family members’ names to create a virtual cemetery. It was especially popular during the pandemic,” the cemetery keeper, surnamed Cai, tells TWOC.
Shao Yefan is a contributing writer at The World of Chinese. She writes articles about economic and political changes in Chinese society, especially how these affect normal people’s lives. She is particularly interested in the impact of international events like the Olympic Games on Chinese society.
