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Xinhua Headlines: China reinvents ancestral veneration with green, modern goodbyes

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E-mail Xinhua, April 05, 2025

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BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Amid gentle sea breezes and blooming memorial flowers, and through 3D-printed facial restoration of the deceased and AI-powered farewells, China is breathing new life into traditional tomb-sweeping rituals on Qingming Festival, which falls on Friday.

With its dual identity as both a solar term and a festival, Qingming, which has a history of over 2,500 years, sees tens of millions honor ancestors through tomb-sweeping rituals, both on-site and online, embodying the Confucian ethos of "revering the departed to nurture virtue."

In a modern twist on Qingming customs, technological and ecological approaches now vie with the more familiar incense and paper offerings.

Guided by green policies and shifting public attitudes, a quiet dialogue has unfolded between tradition and modernity, as green burials and minimalist tributes gain traction, blending the cultural heritage of this age-old Chinese day of remembrance with modern values.

ETERNAL REST IN THE BLUE

At dawn, 112 families boarded a charter boat off Tiger Beach in Dalian, a coastal city in northeast China's Liaoning Province, and lowered biodegradable urns containing their loved ones' ashes into the Bohai Sea.

Chrysanthemum petals and handwritten memorial cards floated on the waves as seagulls circled above -- a tranquil alternative to smoke-heavy traditional open-air ritual burning.

"My father loved the ocean. Now, he'll forever be a part of it," said Yang Lijiao, who came from the provincial capital Shenyang, along with the other families on board. The ritual was organized by Shenyang's only government-contracted sea burial service provider.

Her eyes fixed on her father's urn as it drifted away before slowly descending into the depths. "Wherever the ocean flows, Dad's memory will live on."

Liaoning has pioneered sea burials for over a decade, offering services in cities like Dalian, Yingkou and Dandong. Official statistics show that a total of 71,386 sea burials were performed between 2012 and 2023, saving approximately 290,000 square meters of land -- equivalent to 40 soccer fields.

"Policy upgrades and public outreach have driven sea burial adoption," explained Yao Ning from Shenyang's civil affairs bureau. The province now provides subsidies of up to 2,000 yuan (about 278 U.S. dollars) per sea burial.

In 2016, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs and eight other departments jointly issued guidelines promoting land-saving eco-burials, encouraging sustainable ashes disposition via sea or tree burials, or urn storage.

To date, 28 provincial-level regions nationwide have adopted eco-burial policies with financial incentives and infrastructure investments, according to an official with the ministry. Multiple regions now offer higher sea burial subsidies, streamlined procedures and humane services, driving growing public adoption.

Beijing has conducted nearly 40,000 sea burials since 1994, now representing 4 percent of the city's annual cremations. In the neighboring Hebei Province, 30 pilot eco-burial sites were green-lighted last year, aiming to set the stage for gradual province-wide adoption.

"Traditional burial practices have become unsustainable in their land consumption," said Wang Yi, associate professor at Tianjin University, adding that the shift in Qingming rituals reflects the public's growing ecological awareness. "Sea and tree burials, with their land-free designs, offer sustainable alternatives that reduce pressure on limited land resources."

TECH WARMS GOODBYES

During a recent open day at the Guangzhou Funeral & Interment Service Center in south China, local residents observed technology merging with tradition: 3D-printed facial restoration of the departed, AI-curated memorial videos reviving personal histories, and robotic urn bearers operating with ceremonial precision.

In the center's mortuary restoration lab, Li Fajun, a mortician, led a team using 3D scanning and printing to recreate lifelike facial contours for the deceased. Their "3D wound mapping" technique digitally reconstructs facial features with unprecedented accuracy, allowing highly authentic reconstruction for those whose appearances were affected by trauma or illness.

Through a meticulous process combining 3D-printed molds and specialized cosmetic techniques, the departed can be restored to their natural appearance for their final goodbyes. The lab has also secured national patents for its self-developed high-efficiency composite embalming agent and 3D-printed surface restoration device.

"These patented technologies allow families to see their loved ones at peace," Li said. "We're not just repairing appearances. We're healing families' grief."

Among the team's younger members is Zhao Zhihui, a mortuary science graduate, who regards the work as "building the last bridge between the departed and their loved ones."

As technology reshapes modern life, it's also redefining how China faces death, with growing numbers embracing innovative approaches such as AI memorials or virtual ceremonies to honor their departed loved ones.

Beyond Guangzhou, tech-infused memorials are reshaping China's funeral culture. In Beijing, over 100,000 families have opted for "life gemstones" -- cremated ashes transformed into crystalline keepsakes via high-pressure synthesis. Meanwhile, Dalian's sea burial memorials feature LED walls displaying names, embodying the growing acceptance of "returning to nature."

"Tech-driven memorials reflect modern trends," commented Wang, noting that faster lifestyles and greater mobility reduce opportunities for physical grave visits, she linked this shift to digital memorials' growth, whose efficiency and visual appeal further boost adoption. Yet AI shouldn't replace all traditions, she warned, as rites like tomb-sweeping demand physical presence, a practice central to filial piety that virtual interactions cannot replicate.

Hong Chang, professor at Tianjin Foreign Studies University, viewed AI-assisted memorials and sea burials as adaptations of tradition to modernization, with AI streamlining remembrance and eco-burials addressing environmental concerns. "Yet we should balance innovation with cultural heritage as we retain the essence of Qingming rituals."

These innovations signal a societal shift: as environmental awareness grows, Chinese families increasingly honor the departed through more diverse practices from AI-preserved memories to green burials. This fusion of technology and sustainability creates new forms of reverence without severing ties to tradition. Enditem