"I'm not afraid of ghosts — I'm afraid of those who only commemorate their ancestors on social media during the Qingming Festival each year"

The provocation

It has been reported that Huxiu (虎嗅) published an essay that lashes out at a familiar modern sight: people who mark Qingming (清明节), the traditional Chinese ancestor‑veneration day, with a social‑media post once a year and little else. The author’s point is blunt — the fear is not of spirits but of performative ritual: public displays of filial sentiment reduced to a photograph, a short caption and a handful of likes. Are online gestures enough to replace visits to graves, family care and everyday responsibility? The piece says no.

Digital ritual and platform dynamics

Reportedly the essay links this behavior to the mechanics of China’s social platforms — WeChat (微信), Weibo (微博) and Douyin (抖音) — where commemorative posts easily circulate and attract quick moral approval. It criticizes a growing attention economy in which ritualized moments become content, and where commercialized or virtual memorial services can substitute for sustained family practice. Some readers have pushed back, arguing that online memorials can be sincere and are a pragmatic response to urban migration and busy lives.

Why it matters

This debate matters beyond social media etiquette. Qingming sits at the intersection of traditional culture, family expectations and state efforts to promote filial piety — a value Beijing has highlighted in recent cultural campaigns — while tech companies navigate new regulations and social cohesion imperatives. It has been reported that the Huxiu essay sparked mixed reactions online, highlighting a wider cultural question: does sincerity disappear when ritual is performed on a screen? In an age where more life is lived digitally, that question will only get louder.