Guangzhou, 4 April (Zhongxin Net) -- Hong Kong and Macao compatriots worship ancestors in Qingming Guangzhou: Customs clearance is convenient and the festival is smooth
China News Network reporter Cai Minjie
April 4 is Qingming Day, and the Canton area pays attention to "doing justice and Qing". At the Overseas Chinese Cemetery in Xintang, Guangzhou, Mr. Wen, a septuagenarian Hong Kong citizen, and more than a dozen of his relatives and friends in Hong Kong and Guangzhou gathered to pay homage to their ancestors. "I haven't come back to worship my ancestors for many years, and I used to come back every year to worship my ancestors. So as soon as I cleared the customs this time, I wanted to come back. In his view, the Qingming Festival is not only a remembrance of deceased ancestors, but also an important time to reunite with his family.
Compared with previous years, the flow of people at the Qingming Festival in Guangzhou this year has increased significantly, many of them are overseas Chinese, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots, who have returned to their hometowns after three years to remember their ancestors. According to the data of the Guangzhou border inspection department, from 3:5 to 0:15 on the 10074th, a total of 588,6 people were inspected in Guangzhou, an increase of 836.278% over the same period last year; 7 Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macao Residents were inspected, <>.<> times more than in the same period last year.
Li Xiaolin, deputy director of Guangzhou Funeral Service Center, introduced that this year's Qingming Festival in Guangzhou implemented real-name appointments, and citizens who went to the scene to clean up tried to choose public transportation after successfully making an appointment on the relevant public account. Hong Kong and Macao residents can present their passports, Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macao Residents, or have their relatives and friends in the Mainland make an appointment on their behalf.
Guangzhou Xintang Overseas Chinese Cemetery ushered in the peak of ritual cleaning Photo by Chen Jimin
According to statistics from the Guangzhou Civil Affairs Department, as of 5 o'clock on the 15th, about 2,65 people in Guangzhou had made appointments for the festival with passports, Hong Kong and Macao residents' travel permits for mainland travel and other documents. Many Hong Kong and Macao residents said that it was convenient to make an appointment to enter the park for the cleaning process.
At the Overseas Chinese Cemetery in Xintang City, Guangzhou, near noon that day, the reporter still saw residents from Hong Kong from time to time registering to enter the garden. "Because today (the 5th) is Zhengqing, I expect that there will be more worshippers, so I deliberately arrived in Guangzhou a day earlier." Mr. Gan, a Hong Kong resident, said that there were more people who passed the customs on the 4th, but overall it was very smooth. "In response to the civilized worship, this time I specially brought flowers to worship my grandmother." He said.
In the parking lot near the Xintang Overseas Chinese Cemetery, the reporter saw several vehicles from Hong Kong or Macao parked inside. "Today (5th) at 10:2 drove from Macao, <> hours to the cemetery in Guangzhou, now 'Macao car north' is very convenient." Mr. Cheung, a Macao resident, said that after entering the park, there were also staff guidance and enthusiasm. This year, I specially brought a small gift that my friends liked when they were alive.
Guangzhou Xintang Overseas Chinese Cemetery ushered in the peak of ritual cleaning Photo by Chen Jimin
"I haven't come back for 4 years, and I could only worship them in my heart, but this time I specially came back with my brothers and sisters and grandchildren to worship." Mr. Chan, a Hong Kong resident, said that coming to Guangzhou felt a lot of change, "We came by public transportation today (5th) and found that there were people giving up their seats along the way, and there were young people helping to buy subway tickets, which was very polite, and entering the garden to worship was also very smooth." He said he planned to meet old friends in Guangzhou, see the new appearance of Guangzhou, and return to Hong Kong in a few days.
With the increasingly convenient cross-border transportation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, coupled with the influence of the concept of returning to the roots of fallen leaves, Hong Kong and Macao residents are gradually consulting or buying cemeteries in Guangdong. According to Yang Jiaqiang, manager of the Admiralty Cemetery in Guangzhou, during the Qingming Festival this year, the number of Hong Kong and Macao residents visiting the cemetery increased, and in terms of choosing burial methods, they converged with mainland customs.
In addition, in order to meet the needs of overseas Chinese, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots returning to their hometowns to visit graves, many places in Guangdong have deployed in advance, for example, Shenzhen Bus Group Shenzhen-Hong Kong Rongli Cross-border Bus launched a tomb sweeping line between Hong Kong and Mirs Bay Overseas Chinese Cemetery during the Qingming Festival from April 4 to April 2 to facilitate Hong Kong residents to return to their hometowns to pay their respects. (End)