MCLC: digital Qingming

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: jacqueline winter (dujuan99 at gmail.com)
Subject: digital Qingming
***********************************************************

Source: South China Morning Post (4/4/13):
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1206586/how-qr-codes-are-adding-load
-more-memory-loved-ones-memorials

How QR codes are adding a load more memory to loved ones' memorials
By Stephen Chen binglin.chen at scmp.com

Some canny mainlanders have discovered a way to liven up their trips to
the cemetery with a bit of modern technology.

Those visiting tombs of relatives during today's Ching Ming grave-sweeping
festival may be surprised to see others at nearby graves huddled around a
mobile phone, possibly shedding a tear - or having a good laugh.

Interactive memorials, featuring a simple QR (quick-response) code that
can be scanned to access digital information, photos and even videos about
a person, are finding a niche audience among the tech-savvy who may not
want trips to the graves of friends and loved ones to be solely about
quiet and sombre reflection.

With the space on most headstones limited, QR codes allow access to a vast
databank of memories and information about loved ones, or even complete
strangers, via a simple scan.

Across the nation, more cemeteries are offering the option of placing
matrix codes alongside, or in the place of, epitaphs.

Understandably, some folks, particularly the older generations, might
express disapproval, even outrage, over the incorporation of logistics
technology into memorials. But the voices of dissent are being matched,
particularly by younger people, with strong interest.

The sales manager of the Jiufeng cemetery in Yinzhou district, Ningbo,
told the South China Morning Post yesterday that they launched the service
a few weeks ago, but it had already sparked debate among customers seeking
a resting place for their loved ones.

"We launched the service for the simple reason that we wanted to give
customers a new option in the digital age. We didn't expect so much
controversy," he said, declining to be named.

The matchbox-sized codes direct mobile phones to websites dedicated to the
deceased. The sites are usually maintained by the cemetery for about 300
yuan (HK$370) a year. They can contain poetry, music, photos and videos,
and may be accessed by the public or with a password.