Honoring dead poses a burning question

Visitors to China might be surprised to learn that pictures of George Washington can be seen on some locally printed currency - not the official paper money, of course, but on some bills burned for the dead during the Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, which fell this year on Monday.

The paper "money" featuring the former US president sometimes appears among the reams of bills traditionally burned as offerings to deceased family members. Portraits of Mao Zedong are the most popular on the imitation currency, but Washington is also in demand, as are such modern images as South Korean pop star Song Joong-ki, who recently won fame in China with a performance in the TV series Descendants of the Sun.

However, the paper offerings, some of which bear a phrase meaning "Bank notes for the afterlife", might be seen less in the years to come, especially in the capital, because of local regulations and national laws.