New profession in China - grave worship specialist (6 photos)

China's major cemeteries employ specialist tomb cleaners, and their special services have received up to 100 requests a day in recent years. What are they doing? They walk and bow to the graves of other people's ancestors.





Video recording of how beautifully the grandmother’s grave was decorated

These are professional "grievers"

That is, those who “outsource” will visit the grave of your grandparents, or even mom and dad, if you have never been able to get out in a year. And once a year, a Chinese must go to his ancestors, otherwise how can he honor the family? What kind of Chinese are you after that?

So the Chinese, tormented by a sense of shame, hire people who will clean up the grave, place a basket with treats on it (additional price), and also read a letter supposedly on behalf of a relative.



In one hand there is a bucket with a rag, in the other there is a basket with gifts, the work cannot be called easy

All this can be done either recorded on a smartphone or live, so that all relatives who were unable to come can gather in one conference and honor their ancestors at least remotely.

Who hires people to go to the graves of the dead in their place?

In general, they are not bad people. For example, old aunties who don’t feel the strength to go to their sister’s grave. Or granddaughters who recently had a baby and can’t go “see” grandpa.





It is customary to look after graves for a very long time, because cemeteries in China are growing and growing, the places are very expensive

There are also those who openly “cheat”, for example, daughters-in-law send such cleaning congratulations to grandmothers and deceased parents of their husbands. That is, you don’t have to go to the grave of someone else’s family, but all the rituals have been completed, and you seem to be an honest, decent woman.

How much does it cost to visit a dead relative for you?

The cheapest package, where you just bow and pray, is 14 yuan ($12), the most expensive package, which includes a small basket of fruit as a gift to the ancestors, is 398 yuan ($50). Video filming of the entire ritual process is included in packages starting from 928 yuan.

Very budget-friendly if you don’t want to travel to another city or take time off from work.



Gifts, incense, prayers, flowers, visiting ancestors in China has many complex traditions

Workers in the “remote worship” industry, who are officially assigned to funeral services, say business is booming year after year.

So in 2020, during the holidays they had 20-30 orders, and this year there are already 200-300. A very fast growing market, demand is outpacing supply!



In China, many people work 6 days a week, they simply don’t have time to take a vacation and go visit, but it’s a shame

At the same time, work during the season is quite exhausting. According to tradition, each grave must be bowed at least three times as a sign of veneration, and therefore, in addition to cleaning, workers constantly bow 100 times a day, to the point of wear and tear on their backs.

Many Chinese who personally come to the cemetery to visit the graves of relatives are surprised that the same person worships so many graves. Wow, he has relatives here. And when they find out what the ritual worker actually does, they become his client within 2-3 years.



The main thing is to bow very respectfully and attentively, do not do it for show

A business that doesn’t really need advertising yet, because the Chinese need to bow to a grave is not artificial, but rather something that is absorbed with milk by the mother. Therefore, banners throughout China are not needed so that they do not forget to honor their ancestors. The Chinese themselves remember and will order!