Tomb-cleaning services in decline

Tomb-sweeping services for families unable to pay their respects to deceased relatives in person are struggling, according to local media reports.

In 2008, public cemeteries and individual vendors in China began to offer grave-cleaning services for customers unable to make it to the gravesite of their deceased relatives on the anniversary of their deaths or on Tomb-Sweeping Day.

At Wuhan's Biandan Mountain Cemetery in Hubei province, trained maintenance members would help customers sweep tombs and present flowers on any required date, charging fees of up to 400 yuan ($64) each time, Wuhan Evening News reported on Sunday.