Online memorial ceremony Photo: CFP

As many as 6.95 million online mourning activities are held during the 2022 Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Festival, in Chinese mainland, marking a year-on-year rise of 275.7 percent, said China's Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA).

Meanwhile, people heading to cemeteries to mourn the deceased dropped by 69.8 percent from last year, because of the pandemic, the ministry said. 

According to the MCA, over 18,000 funeral services agencies were closed due to the new wave of COVID-19 outbreaks across the country. 

Relevant Chinese authorities also appealed publics to mourn in safe and clean ways including placing flowers or attending online memorial ceremonies, and helped establish 2,304 online mourning platforms. 

In East China's Jiangxi Province and South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regions, local governments also build online memorial halls for the martyrs, according to CCTV, the national broadcaster.

In addition, some cemeteries and funeral agencies launched services to mourn the dead for the families, including a tomb stone cleaning service, laying flowers and even crying for the dead. 

A cemetery in Shanghai had received over 2,000 "mourning orders" since the middle of March. A cemetery in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province set mourning services with different prices and scope of services from 88 yuan to more than 300 yuan, Chinese media outlet Yicai reported on Tuesday.

Global Times