Qingming Under The Epidemic: Some Cemeteries Take 2,000 Orders For Substitute Sweepings, Funeral Industry Digitalization Accelerates

The cemeteries have launched various types of cloud-based sacrificial sweeping and sacrificial sweeping on behalf of the business, which has also prompted the funeral industry to accelerate the digital development of the Internet.

It's that time of year again, when the wind is clear and everything is growing, and it's also a time for people to remember their ancestors.

When the epidemic locks up the feet of travel, services such as online sweeping and valet sweeping become the "immediate need" for Qingming sweeping services, so the cemeteries launch all kinds of cloud sweeping and sweeping on behalf of the business, which also prompted the funeral industry to accelerate the digital development of the Internet.

At the same time, with increased market demand, some second-hand websites also offer paid services on behalf of private sweepers. In addition to offering the usual grave sweeping and rituals, such businesses also claim to offer tasteless services such as "bawling on behalf of" and "chatting on behalf of", which are not only arbitrarily priced but also difficult to guarantee in practice.

A big increase in orders for mourning services

"Since this round of the epidemic, the number of orders on behalf of sweeping is also relatively high due to the lack of personnel, in addition to customer service employees who are not isolated, other employees of the cemetery and even management have joined.

As it takes about 10-15 minutes to sweep a family, at the busiest time, there are 33 groups and a total of over 60 employees handling the business on behalf of sweeping at the same time." Sun Yi, assistant to the general manager of Shanghai Fuzhou Garden, told the First Financial News.

According to Sun Yi, Shanghai Fuzhou Garden opened its business around 2007. At that time, it was mainly for the convenience of long-term overseas guests and elderly people with mobility problems, helping them to pay their respects on their behalf.

In 2020, during the Qingming Festival (mid-March to early April), the number of orders placed by Shanghai Qingpu Fuzhou Garden reached 2,800, while in 2021, it dropped back to more than 300.

"Since mid-March this year Shanghai Qingpu Fuzhou Garden has received more than 2,000 orders on behalf of the festival, and as of April 3 has completed more than 1,200 orders. The remaining 700-odd orders will be completed when the cemetery opens. The number of orders is still growing." Sun Yi said.

The First Financial Reporter learned that, in addition to Shanghai Fuzhou Garden, cemeteries in various regions of the country, including Suzhou in Jiangsu, Chongqing, Xi'an in Shaanxi, Zunyi in Guizhou and Shunde in Guangdong, have launched a reservation service on behalf of sweeping on the WeChat public number platform. Suzhou Xukou Xiangshan Mountain Mausoleum Culture's page for valeting shows that the total number of bookings currently stands at 1,165. In terms of prices, the cemetery offers four packages, ranging from 88 yuan to more than 300 yuan.

Each cemetery's valet package is roughly divided into three segments: net sweeping, offering and sacrifice, with prices set according to the level of complexity of each segment.

For example, the RMB35 package at Qingpu Fuxing Garden includes five chrysanthemums, three bows by a ritualist and a completed photo. The RMB 188 package includes a tombstone wipe, a medium bouquet of flowers, candle lighting and a photograph of the entire monument, while the RMB 288 package includes a large bouquet of flowers. The RMB680 package at a Suzhou cemetery also includes the playing of blessing music, decorative silk flowers, a number of fruit and pastries, and the recitation of rituals.

It is also because of the impact of the epidemic that the funeral industry has accelerated its development on the Internet.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs recently said that it would suspend the opening of funeral services in high-risk areas, but it should find ways to open up online and valet channels to meet the needs of the masses; in low-risk areas or areas where the epidemic has not occurred, appointments should be made for triage, time-slotting and a combination of online and offline methods to meet the normal needs of the masses.