10 a.m. in the morning on April 4, a siren wailed in the sky. The whole country seemed to be pressed “pause” button. Streams of vehicles stopped to whistle; passengers on subway stood up solemnly grieving over; at this moment, all Chinese people halted what they were doing at hands, to observe three-minutes silent mourning for the dead compatriots in the fight against the new coronavirus pneumonia. This year’s Qingming Festival is more depressing than usual without doubt.
A Different Qingming
Air raid sirens and horns of automobiles, train and ships wailed in grief. The whole country observed three minutes of silence. In capital Beijing, national flag was flying at half-mast on Tian’anmen Square. All recreational activities are canceled on this day. China, in the name of the country, deeply lamented for the fighters who passed away in the coronavirus pandemic, with the highest standard of mourning. Hundreds of millions of people share the same grief with one heart.
In the long history of a nation, there are always some people who, at important historical nodes, influence the country or even generations of people, and who defend others at the cost of themselves. This time, they are the medical or supportive staff who stepped forward risking lives to save more.
April is the month of new life in nature. After the stormy months, history will remember our respect to lives. This page will be etched in people’s mind. Leading a meaningful life with courage and strength in the future is what we can do to memorize the moment and send out sincerest consolation to the martyrs.
The Respect to Ancestors
Chinese people are not without belief. We believe in ancestors rather than religious figures. “Falling leaves return to the roots” is the spiritual faith of Chinese. Not to shame ancestors is the goal Chinese are striving for. The saying, “The soul returns to its hometown and leaves to their roots” (hún guī gù lǐ, luò yè guī gēn: 魂归故里，落叶归根) in Chinese’s mind is more important than wealth. No matter how rich a person was, it would be a great pity if he could not be buried where his ancestors lived.
Strictly speaking, Qingming is not a festival in traditional sense. As we all know, this day is mainly to offer sacrifice to ancestors and recall the past. Chinese believe that only when there is a country can there be a family; only when there is ancestor can there be offspring and generations later on. Therefore, we should never forget our roots and our ancestors.
Every year, a large number of Chinese people rush back to their hometown thousands of miles away to visit their ancestors’ tomb, to burn incense and joss paper, kowtow then worship in front of the tomb. This express the descendants’ grief and retrospect of their ancestors. “Death is not the end of life, but forgetting is.” Presumably, this is the best summary of why people observe Qingming Festival.
New Way of Tomb Sweeping
During the epidemic control, how to sweep tombs has become a concern of many people. Cemetery management agencies have implemented restrictions for those who have to do onsite tomb sweeping. People are requested to make appointment online or offline. The booking opened a week ago before the actual Qingming Day, with limited seats at different time to avoid too many people in public space.
Despite the booking platforms are over-crowded and it is super difficult to log on, citizens still try hard to get the opportunities visiting their missing love’s tomb on the special day. Government suggests that general public not go physically during the time and offer service such as online tomb sweeping (yún jì sǎo, 云祭扫), which you can send your message and virtual flower or sacrifice to the deceased with taps of finger on your phone.
Other than questioning the non-traditional way of tomb sweeping, people understand it is more a temporary expedient during the epidemic and think the dead would also understand. Sweeping tomb is a form. It is your respect and good will really matters. The virtual way of tomb sweeping is not limited by time and space while complementing the traditional way, which is worth recognition and promotion. What has changed is the form, not the memories.
