Unmanned Transport Robots and Drones
Lighten the Burden of Carrying Ritual Foods
Unmanned transport robots and drones appeared during the Qingming Festival (Cheongmyeongjeol) ancestral rites in China, signaling the emergence of a new culture of tomb-sweeping.
On the 5th, Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily reported that on Chinese social networking services (SNS), residents of three South China provinces?Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan?were drawing attention for carrying ritual food with 'robot dogs' or transporting offerings by drone during the Qingming Festival.
Mr. Weimo from Guangxi Province shared on SNS that he conducted ancestral rites at a tomb located 300 meters up a mountain using a drone. He first transported the ritual items by drone and then climbed the mountain empty-handed, commenting on how convenient it was. Mr. Weimo explained, "The drone flew fruits, roast pork, liquor, and other offerings in just a few minutes. We usually use a drone worth 60,000 yuan (about 12 million KRW) for spraying fertilizer and pesticides, but during Qingming Festival, we charge villagers tens to over a hundred yuan to help with their ancestral rites."
Another SNS post showed a 'robot dog' carrying a box with roast pork climbing a mountain. The terrain in the South China region is rugged, so residents cross mountains, rivers, and sometimes even cliffs every year during Qingming Festival tomb-sweeping. The vegetation grows thickly, requiring them to cut through with sickles as they pass. Chinese netizens jokingly refer to the Qingming tomb-sweeping in this area as an "outdoor survival training that happens once a year."
Meanwhile, Qingming Festival is one of China's four major traditional holidays, during which Chinese people have customs such as tomb-sweeping and kite flying. When performing ancestral rites at tombs, they often offer roast pork and other foods.
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