Notice from the General Office of the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Effectively Carrying Out Tomb-Sweeping Activities for the 2021 Qingming Festival

Private Institution Letter [2021] No. 14

To the Civil Affairs Departments (Bureaus) of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government; to the Civil Affairs Bureaus of all cities separately listed in the national plan; and to the Civil Affairs Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:

In order to implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on funeral and burial work, to ensure effective management of public memorial‑service activities during this year’s Qingming Festival, to promote civilized mourning practices and a safe and peaceful Qingming observance, and to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China with outstanding achievements, the following notice is hereby issued regarding the proper organization of Qingming memorial‑service activities for 2021.

I. Coordinate efforts to ensure both epidemic prevention and control and the safe conduct of public tomb-sweeping activities.

At present, China has generally brought the COVID‑19 epidemic under effective control; however, the risk of a resurgence must not be overlooked. Coordinating epidemic prevention and control with public grave‑tending activities during the Qingming Festival is of paramount importance to overall social stability. Civil affairs departments at all levels must earnestly implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, resolutely guard against complacency and wishful thinking, and, while maintaining unwavering vigilance in routine epidemic prevention and control within the funeral service sector, do everything possible to meet the public’s needs for Qingming grave‑tending. In accordance with the unified deployment of local epidemic‑prevention command authorities, they should strengthen forecasting of the epidemic situation and risk assessments during the Qingming period, adjust work plans in line with changes in risk‑level classifications, and develop specific schemes for grave‑tending services—clearly specifying whether and how on‑site services will be reopened—and publicly announce these measures. In areas that continue to offer on‑site grave‑tending, measures such as appointment systems, staggered visiting hours, and visitor caps should be implemented to minimize crowd density, reduce gatherings at memorial sites, and rigorously enforce preventive protocols, including thorough cleaning and disinfection of venues, temperature checks for visitors, mandatory mask‑wearing, and regular health monitoring of staff. For regions that have suspended on‑site grave‑tending, innovative service models should be promoted, providing convenient, smart alternatives such as online memorialization, proxy grave‑tending, and cloud‑based remembrance. All funeral service institutions must take into account the challenges faced by diverse groups—especially older adults—in using digital technologies, while preserving traditional options like telephone reservations and in‑person services, establishing green, expedited channels, and ensuring that the special needs of vulnerable populations are met. With regard to rural public cemeteries and historic burial sites, responsibilities must be firmly assigned to township (subdistrict) and village (community) authorities, with dedicated personnel tasked with providing support for grave‑tending activities, implementing epidemic‑prevention measures, and ensuring safety management during the Qingming period.

II. Promoting Civilized and Low-Carbon Methods of Ancestral Worship

All localities should vigorously promote civilized, low‑carbon mourning practices such as online memorial services, flower‑based remembrances, and family‑led commemorations, guiding the public to adopt new customs that reflect positive social change. Civil affairs departments and funeral service management agencies should regard strengthening the development of online platforms for mourning services as a key measure under the “Doing Practical Things for the People” initiative within Party history study and education. By establishing memorial websites, launching mobile apps, and operating WeChat official accounts, they can provide high‑quality online mourning services that effectively meet the needs of those paying their respects. Funeral service providers should actively work toward creating “smoke‑free cemeteries,” organize activities such as “flowers in exchange for paper money,” “ribbons to convey condolences,” and “time‑space mailboxes,” and encourage the public to choose civilized, low‑carbon ways of honoring the deceased while discouraging vulgar ritual items and superstitious practices. Efforts should link the organization of mourning events with the dissemination of the fine traditional culture associated with the Qingming Festival, encouraging people to commemorate the departed through tree planting and greening, spring outings with remote offerings, and recitation of classic texts, thereby continuously enriching the cultural significance of the festival. The public should be guided to integrate remembrance of the deceased with the promotion of sound family values and traditions, shifting from physical, material‑based rituals to the spiritual and cultural legacy of the departed. Full use should be made of the roles of grassroots Party organizations, village (residential) committees, and red‑and‑white councils, reinforcing the exemplary leadership of Party members and cadres to inspire the public to participate consciously in civilized, low‑carbon mourning, advance reforms in funeral and burial practices, and contribute to rural revitalization and the broader progress of social civility.

III. Enhancing the Management and Quality of Funeral-Related Services

During the Qingming Festival, all localities must strengthen their sense of safety responsibility. Leading officials in civil affairs departments should personally head special inspections on memorial‑service safety, ensure that funeral service institutions fully assume their principal responsibilities, and conduct comprehensive checks to identify and address all kinds of safety hazards—leaving no omissions, blind spots, or gaps—and implement rectifications swiftly, resolutely, and thoroughly. Particular attention should be paid to managing crowd flow at memorial sites and their surroundings, directing traffic, and strictly controlling sources of ignition; in coordination with relevant authorities, patrols for open‑air fires during memorial activities should be intensified to prevent accidents such as stampedes and fires. All funeral service institutions, with the aim of facilitating public memorial rites, should appropriately increase service counters, extend operating hours, streamline service procedures, and introduce innovative service approaches, striving to deliver higher‑quality, more efficient, convenient, and compassionate funeral services and continuously enhance public satisfaction. While providing robust memorial‑service support, it is essential to strengthen the management of routine funeral services, rigorously enforce applicable service standards, standardize fee‑charging practices, and ensure transparent disclosure of service items, fee schedules, and measures benefiting the public, firmly preventing arbitrary charges, overcharging, and forced bundled purchases. Efforts should be stepped up to consolidate and build upon the results of the special campaign to address illegal cemetery construction, and to plan and implement comprehensive measures to tackle the unauthorized construction and operation of burial (interment) facilities. Greater enforcement is needed against illegal cemeteries, large and opulent tombs, and unregulated, haphazard burials, while serious investigations and disciplinary actions must be taken against any acts in the funeral sector that infringe upon the legitimate interests of the public, thereby continuously elevating the overall level of funeral governance.

IV. Strengthening Organizational Support Capabilities

Civil affairs departments at all levels must strengthen organizational leadership over tomb-sweeping activities, firmly enforce local and regulatory responsibilities, rigorously implement epidemic prevention and control measures as well as safety management requirements, and refine service‑support arrangements to ensure that this year’s Qingming Festival tomb‑sweeping operations are safe, stable, and orderly. They should continue to faithfully carry out the relevant directives of the State Council, establish and improve a working mechanism for tomb‑sweeping characterized by Party committee leadership, government accountability, interdepartmental coordination, and public participation, and reinforce collaboration among civil affairs, publicity, public security, housing and urban–rural development, transportation, emergency management, market regulation, and forestry and grassland authorities, so as to coordinate and effectively manage tomb‑sweeping services this year. Active coordination with the media is required to highlight and promote exemplary practices, new achievements, and model cases of changing customs in funeral services across regions, thereby amplifying the mainstream narrative of funeral reform and spreading positive energy within the industry. Through online micro‑classes, promotional display windows, leaflets, and other channels, Qingming‑related outreach should reach communities and serve the public, fostering a favorable public opinion environment. In response to pressing issues that have drawn strong public concern in the funeral sector, efforts to resolve these problems must be intensified, while vigilance in monitoring and analyzing public sentiment must be strengthened to promptly address media inquiries and societal concerns. An emergency preparedness mechanism for the Qingming Festival should be established and refined, with systems in place for leadership on‑duty, team‑led inspections, and zero‑reporting of information, to enhance the capacity to respond to and handle emergencies. In the event of major incidents, timely reporting to local Party committees, governments, and epidemic‑prevention command centers is imperative.

The Department of Social Affairs of the Ministry of Civil Affairs will continue to establish a Qingming Festival Working Office during the Qingming period and assign dedicated personnel to be on duty throughout the statutory Qingming holiday (April 3–5) to coordinate and oversee local Qingming tomb-sweeping services. During this statutory holiday, civil affairs departments at all levels are required to implement a system of designated on‑call staff and a daily reporting mechanism for tomb‑sweeping activities. By March 26, each provincial civil affairs department shall submit a Qingming tomb‑sweeping work plan or notice approved by the provincial epidemic prevention and control command authority. From April 3 to April 5, a unified “Daily Report on Qingming Tomb‑Sweeping Activities in 2021” (see attachment) must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. each day, and a summary report on Qingming tomb‑sweeping activities for the province must be submitted by April 12.

General Office of the Ministry of Civil Affairs

March 8, 2021