/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/1216717154/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=2999&cropY1=250&cropY2=1938&w=1920&resize=1920,0&ssl=1 "Photos: Wuhan Mourns Coronavirus Victims On Tomb Sweeping Day")
(Updated: 11:15 a.m. EST, April 4, 2020)
Topline: China’s first Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, since the coronavirus pandemic killed thousands has taken on a new meaning as millions of Chinese pay their respects to dead ancestors.
- Over the past several days, residents of Wuhan —believed to be the origin of the coronavirus outbreak— have been allowed to leave their homes for the first time in months as officials ease the city-wide lockdown after a decrease in cases, but restrictions are still in place to keep the virus under control.
- Usually, residents of Wuhan would travel to graveyards on Tomb Sweeping Day to clean the graves of family members, pray and make ritual offerings— but with all tomb-sweeping activities in Wuhan suspended until April 30, residents have made offerings at home and set up makeshift memorials.
- Some Chinese cemeteries are even offering virtual tomb sweeping services, where families can watch a live stream of traditional rituals being carried out for their relatives by cemetery staff.
On Tomb Sweeping Day Wuhan residents presented flowers like chrysanthemums, a traditional funeral … [+]
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A woman holds a floral bouquet as people gather outside of a park where an official memorial was … [+]
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On Tomb Sweeping Day on Saturday, Wuhan residents left flowers at a makeshift memorial to … [+]
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Residents present flowers at a makeshift memorial to people who died from coronavirus on Tomb … [+]
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Chinese flags stood at half-staff as as the world’s most populous country observed a nationwide … [+]
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People bow their heads Saturday during a national moment of mourning for victims of coronavirus in … [+]
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Medical workers stand in silent tribute at Wuhan Union Hospital on Saturday.
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Wuhan residents wearing face masks burn papers to pay respect to their ancestors on the eve of … [+]
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The annual tradition of visiting relatives’ tombs has been forbidden in the city this year to … [+]
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A girl wears a mask while playing soap bubble in Wuhan’s Jiangtan Park on Saturday.
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A boy wears a mask Saturday while climbing on fitness equipment at Jiangtan Park in Wuhan.
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A mother with her child playing on Saturday in Wuhan, China.
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A woman wearing a tiger face mask gestures on a street in Wuhan, China on Friday.
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Local women perform a dance inside a makeshift barricade wall built to control entry and exit to a … [+]
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The government stipulates that select Wuhan residents with in good health can spend time outdoors if … [+]
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A woman wearing a face mask has her temperature checked by a volunteer at the entrance to a … [+]
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People swam in the Yangtze River in Wuhan, China on Thursday.
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Men dry their bodies after swimming in Yangtze River in Wuhan on Thursday as the city slowly … [+]
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A woman buys bananas from a vendor on the other side of a barricade separating a residential … [+]
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Women wore face masks as they walked past a mural along a street in Wuhan Thursday.
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Visitors wearing masks against the coronavirus enjoy a quiet day at the East Lake park in Wuhan on … [+]
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A child wearing a mask on Thursday pushes his bike at the East Lake park.
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Residents exit a bus as they arrive in the city of Wuhan on Thursday.
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