https://www.scmp.com/rss/330417/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Trips taken by Chinese tourists during the three-day Ching Ming Festival holiday were down by more than 26 per cent compared to last year, as the country deals with its worst coronavirus outbreak in more than two years. Trips during the so-called tomb-sweeping festival, which began on Sunday, were at 68 per cent of the pre-pandemic level in 2019, according to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Tourism revenue also tumbled by 30.9 per cent, reaching 18.78 billion yuan (US$2.95... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3173260/china-tourism-consumption-during-ching-ming-festival-hit-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3173260/china-tourism-consumption-during-ching-ming-festival-hit-new?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Apr 2022 11:15:23 +0000 China’s debilitated domestic tourism industry could be further clobbered by weak consumption during the coming holiday as the masses refrain from travelling far and spending while record numbers of coronavirus cases continue to spur lockdowns across the country. The three-day Ching Ming Festival, or tomb-sweeping festival, takes place from Sunday to Tuesday, and reports by tourism agencies point to a continued preference for short-distance trips – a trend that has gathered steam as people avoid... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3172629/chinas-tourism-industry-braces-ching-ming-festival-lockdowns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3172629/chinas-tourism-industry-braces-ching-ming-festival-lockdowns?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Mar 2022 12:30:22 +0000 Paper masks and goggles are among offerings that ethnic Chinese in Malaysia will burn to mark tomb sweeping day, hoping their ancestors can use them to fight the coronavirus in the afterlife. Ching Ming Festival is one of the most important dates for Chinese communities, and is observed across East and Southeast Asia. During the festival, which this year falls on Sunday, it is customary for Chinese to offer prayers, sweep their loved ones’ graves and burn paper models of items that could be... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3127952/paper-goggles-and-sanitisers-among-tomb-sweeping-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3127952/paper-goggles-and-sanitisers-among-tomb-sweeping-day?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Apr 2021 08:52:46 +0000 Authorities in Mianning, a county in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, put tight restrictions on residents’ ability to buy more than one lighter or box of matches until the end of June, according to an announcement posted on social media platform WeChat on Sunday. The measures have been put in place to control the igniting and spreading of potential fires during the high-risk season, the announcement said. Minors under 18 years of age will be completely banned from purchasing any... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3127559/chinese-authorities-feel-heat-after-restricting-lighters-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/article/3127559/chinese-authorities-feel-heat-after-restricting-lighters-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Mar 2021 01:05:13 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Anyone who awoke in China on Saturday hoping to relax on their day off by playing a few rounds of games like Honor of Kings or Game for Peace would have been disappointed. All of the country's biggest games were shut down for the day. Why PUBG Mobile became Game for Peace in China That’s because April 4 was Ching Ming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day. During this traditional Chinese festival, families typically honor their ancestors by visiting grave... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3078670/games-and-live-streaming-suspended-china-day-mourning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3078670/games-and-live-streaming-suspended-china-day-mourning?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2020 12:58:56 +0000 Anyone who awoke in China on Saturday hoping to relax on their day off by playing a few rounds of games like Honor of Kings or Game for Peace would have been disappointed. All of the country's biggest games were shut down for the day.   That’s because April 4 was Ching Ming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day. During this traditional Chinese festival, families typically honor their ancestors by visiting grave sites. But this year in mainland China, it was also turned into a day of mourning for people... https://www.scmp.com/culture/games-and-live-streaming-suspended-china-day-mourning/article/3078570?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/games-and-live-streaming-suspended-china-day-mourning/article/3078570?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2020 12:58:54 +0000 Kyle Hui never got to see his mother one last time. He had planned to travel from Shanghai back to Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the coronavirus outbreak was first reported, for the Lunar New Year holiday, a time for family reunions. But his mother fell ill before he arrived. She had symptoms of Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, but test kits were not readily available at the time. Hui’s older brother saw the last glimpse of their mother through a glass door as she was... https://www.scmp.com/health/no-burials-no-funerals-ritual-gives-way-precautions-china-mourns-covid-19-victims/article/3078238?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/no-burials-no-funerals-ritual-gives-way-precautions-china-mourns-covid-19-victims/article/3078238?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2020 13:04:59 +0000 Grave-sweeping is an important part of the Ching Ming, or Qing Ming, festival – a 2,500-year-old tradition that sees millions flock to cemeteries to pay tribute to their dead. Family members and friends burn paper money, light joss sticks, and offer food and other trinkets to their departed loved ones. But these offerings don’t come cheap. And what’s worse, Hong Kong is running out of space for cemeteries, columbariums and cremation facilities. The dignity of death may be under threat. https://www.scmp.com/society/ching-ming-festival-high-cost-hong-kongs-burial-sites/article/3005144?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/society/ching-ming-festival-high-cost-hong-kongs-burial-sites/article/3005144?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Apr 2019 07:53:10 +0000