Qing Ming – the "Clear and Bright" Festival has been celebrated in China for thousand of years. Although it is a day for paying respects to ancestors and the dead, it is also about life and family. Qing Ming comes at the start of spring, when the days are clear and bright – one possible origin of the name. This is a time when new vegetation is appearing – and very much as Easter associates new life in nature with the festival, so too does Qing Ming.

Qing Ming underpins Chinese family values
To understand this concept it is necessary to take a look at the fundamental belief systems of the Chinese people. For many thousands of years Chinese society has been organised on lines of respect for elders and the recognition of rights and responsibilities. Observance of respect to ancestors is in fact an integral part of this system, and is a natural extension to the respect paid to living people who are older than oneself. It is the obligation of descendants to show respect to their elders (in this case deceased), but equally, it is the responsibility of the living to teach the younger such values. So, although the festival has a focus on the dead, it is very much about the living, and of the family.

Customs associated with Qing Ming
Most commonly, Qing Ming is associated with cleaning graves and paying respect to the dead. This includes offering food and goods to the dead. The food is very real and roast piglet is a common offering. The goods are far more likely to be made of paper (Joss Paper) and can take the form of anything from a shirt and tie to wristwatches and speedboats. These are transferred to the dead through burning them. Quite often "Bank of Hell" money will also be burnt at the same time. This money distract the evil spirits who will, given half a chance, intercept the goods and have them for themselves. While the evil spirits are chasing the Hell money, the valuable goods pass safely to the dead.

This is a family event, and there is an expectation that the whole family will make the trip to the gravesite. It is common for families not to have a gravesite – in this case there may be a "Hall of Remembrance" somewhat similar to those found in crematoria. A plaque is placed on the wall, usually with a picture of the person on it. Respects are also paid here, and the food and burnt offerings are also made. Qing Ming is associated with outings, particularly to the countryside. There is no surprise in this, as in former times, the dead were buried outside of the city walls. Therefore to pay respects, one needed to make a trip out of the city. With the whole family making such an effort, it s not very surprising that the opportunity was taken to make the event a family affair, and from this a number of other customs emerged.

1 2