Like all the traditional festivals in China, the tomb sweeping day which falls on Wednesday has provided a huge business opportunity for the businesspeople despite its mournful keynote.

The tomb sweeping day, or Qingming Festival Festival, was first set by a Chinese emperor, in memory of a loyal official who had cut his own leg to save the starving emperor's life more than 2,500 years ago.

Gradually it became a big occasion on which people pay respect to their dearly departed. People go to clean the surroundings of the tombs of their ancestors or relatives, burn incense and candles, present sacrifice to their dearly departed, which are commercial opportunities in the eye of the businessmen.

"The Xuanhui wine is selling pretty well these days, increasing by nearly ten percent," said a saleswoman at a supermarket in Fuzhou, east China's Fujian Province.

She is selling a kind of rice wine, which is widely used by the local residents as a tribute during the tomb sweeping rituals.

However, wine is not the only thing that sees a rocketing sale in the days right before the tomb sweeping day.

Other tomb-sweeping-related things including chrysanthemum, money-like paper, incense, candles and fruits for sacrifice are also sold at higher prices.

At the city's Ningxiang flower shop, the price of a piece of chrysanthemum has risen to 1.5 yuan (about 19 cents), which is thrice higher than the usual time.

At the same time, airline companies and travel agencies are also keen in developing their market in this special period.

Statistics from Fuzhou Airport show that passengers coming from Hong Kong and Macao increases by one quarter since March 31.

Ding Wenzhi, a Chinese businessman who currently lives in Thailand, said he took his daughter back to China on the occasion of the tomb sweeping day.

He said they have visited in northwest China's Shaanxi Province the mausoleum of Huangdi, the common ancestor of the Chinese, and are planning to go to the provinces of Shandong and Guangdong in commemoration of his family ancestors.

Nearly every travel agency in Shanghai are offering tomb sweeping tour routes to travelers, which proves quite successful.

Since 1999, China witnesses three golden weeks of tourism every year during the May Day Holiday, the National Day and the Lunar New Year.

Tens of millions of Chinese will choose to travel during the holidays and these three weeks have contributed greatly to the domestic tourism market.

Some sociologists have suggested that laws should be made to let the tomb sweeping day become an official national vacation.

If the traditional festivals become vacations, China will see a new round thriving of the holiday economy, said the experts.

Source: Xinhua