In some cities, there are groups that sweep graves on behalf of others, earning tens of thousands during the Qingming Festival peak period

Thread Content

There’s everything available – helping to sweep tombs, kowtowing, burning ingots. Those who provide such services can earn 20,000 to 30,000 yuan during the peak season; public opinion on them is mixed. During the Qingming Festival, it rains heavily, and pedestrians on the roads seem heartbroken. Where can one find a tavern? A shepherd boy points in the direction of Xinghua Village. You might be used to concepts like taking exams on behalf of others, helping others conceive, or driving for them, but would you accept the idea of helping others sweep tombs, kowtow, or burn ingots? In Guangzhou, Beijing, and Qingdao, a new service has emerged: \"visiting graves on behalf of others.\" For just 300 to 500 yuan, someone will go to your ancestors’ graves to remove weeds, bow in reverence, burn incense, and offer offerings. Services such as wearing mourning attire and having a ceremony team play drums and gongs are also available. After the task is completed, they will take photos of the scene for you or record the whole process on a DVD to give to you. Investigations by reporters revealed that some \"proxy cleaners\" said their business was so busy they couldn’t keep up, and earning 20,000 to 30,000 yuan during the Qingming Festival wasn’t a problem. Interestingly, citizens have varying opinions on the emergence of \"visiting graves on behalf of others.\" Some citizens believe that visiting graves is an act of heartfelt remembrance, and one should do it personally ； However, some citizens believe that, due to being abroad or having difficulty moving around, it is not a bad idea to find someone to sweep the graves on their behalf. “Friends who are away from home and unable to return for the Qingming Festival can rest assured to entrust me with visiting the graves on their behalf; for half a day of work and some of the related expenses, I charge only 200 yuan. ”As the Tomb-Sweeping Festival approaches, many new services offering to sweep graves on behalf of others have appeared on online shopping sites such as Taobao as well as on blogs. When the reporter entered “visiting graves on behalf of others” on Taobao, 10 results appeared, all offering such services. The range of services offered was quite extensive, with different prices listed: burning incense and paper, lighting candles, presenting flowers, recording everything that happens during the visit to the grave, and speaking on behalf of the client to their elders. The total cost for the offerings is 100 yuan, with each bow costing 100 yuan. ”“The number of people participating in the tomb-sweeping ceremony must be at least three; required items include a pair of candles, 50 sticks of sandalwood, about half a kilogram of fruit for offerings, a new tomb banner, simple cleaning of the tomb, a set of firecrackers, and a bundle of money for the dead. The fee is 50 yuan. ” Some of these “cleaning on behalf of others” services also provide video recordings of the entire process, and even 3G live video calls: the grave is cleaned, mourning music is played, then five dishes of offerings such as fruits and pastries are placed there, along with a glass of drink and a bouquet of flowers; all of this is recorded on a DVD and delivered to you. The cost of this service is 380 yuan” ； “For one-way video calls, I’ll point the camera at the grave; you can just speak directly! The charge is 177 yuan for 1 to 5 minutes. ”If customers are willing to spend more money, some services for sweeping graves include wearing mourning clothes, with ceremony teams playing gongs and drums as well... Such services are not only available online; interviews by reporters have shown that some cemeteries in Guangzhou have also introduced such \"grave-sweeping\" services. Undercover investigation: “Task cleaners” earn 20,000 to 30,000 yuan per day from doing a dozen or so tasks. Last afternoon, the reporter contacted a “task cleaner” with the online nickname “Happy” via QQ, posing as a customer. Upon learning that the reporter needed help with tomb-sweeping, \"Kai Xin\" enthusiastically introduced his services to the reporter: \"Please tell me the exact location of the cemetery, as well as where the grave is situated within it. If there are any special requirements, I will carry out each task according to those instructions.\" ” “The services offered by “Happy” may not be luxurious, but they do include traditional offerings: “I will bring three kinds of offerings, that is, a chicken, a fish, and a pig’s leg.” Then take some fruit to the grave. If there are weeds or something around the grave, I will pull them out, then kowtow and light ingot-shaped candles. ”“Happy said that these activities are basically no different from regular memorial visits to graves; “I’ll take photos of them and send them to you.” ”“The total cost is 500 yuan, which includes the transportation fees and the money for purchasing offerings. ”“Happy said that if more services were needed, the price would have to increase further. “Cleaning graves on behalf of others isn’t something to take lightly; I will definitely carry it out carefully. You can rest assured about this. Anything can be deceived, but things like worship must never be deceived. ”“Xiaokai told the reporter that the closer it gets to the Qingming Festival, the more work he has. “Today is already my 8th client; I’m so busy I can’t stop.” ”“Happy” also said, “The clients are all people from abroad or other provinces; some of them have difficulty moving around. But in order to weed and offer incense at their ancestors’ graves, they are willing to spend money to ensure that everything is done properly. ” “\"Happy\" revealed that \"business is really good these days; I have a dozen orders per day.\" \"These past few days, I’ve been carrying my laptop around to various cemeteries.\" ”“Xikai did not directly answer the question regarding income; he only said that he earned 30,000 yuan during last year’s Qingming Festival, and that he should be able to earn around 10,000 yuan this year. Based on current trends, it is expected that business will be even better this year than last. ” Citizen: The most important thing for elders is to show filial piety during their lifetime. Opinions on the service of \"cleaning graves on behalf of others\" are mixed among citizens. “Visiting graves is a way to express sorrow for one’s ancestors; how can one allow someone else to do this on their behalf, or even let strangers kowtow to one’s ancestors? ”Mr. Luo, a local resident, cannot accept the service of sweeping graves on behalf of others. Some citizens also believe that the most important way to treat elders is to show filial piety while they are still alive. “Xiao Cui, a woman from Guangzhou born in the 1980s, said that one can instead use methods such as writing letters or conducting online memorial ceremonies; there is no need at all to waste money hiring someone to clean the graves. Many citizens also show understanding for \"visiting graves on behalf of others.\" “The Qingming Festival lasts only 3 days, and many working people truly do not have time to return home to pay respects at their ancestors’ graves; the service of \"paying respects on behalf of others\" solves this problem. ” Expert: It is understandable to hire someone to attend funerals on one’s behalf. Fu Xueyong, an expert in funeral customs, says that as early as the Song Dynasty, there were already practices of hiring people to handle funerals and to mourn on behalf of others. If someone is abroad or unable to travel in person to pay respects at the graves of their ancestors, it is entirely reasonable to hire someone else to do so. Fu Xueyong said that in fact, if it is truly inconvenient for people to go to the gravesites to pay their respects, they can still do so by writing letters or offering flowers and burning paper in the direction of the graves. “Paying respects at graves is a way of expressing one’s feelings from the bottom of the heart; as long as one has the intention, that’s enough.” ”