新型祭祀品清明時節(jié)熱銷

A shop in Dongguan, Guangdong Province selling sacrificial offerings.? 廣東省東莞市一家祭祀品專賣店。

當人們急于獲得最新版本的iPhone和iPad時，已故的人們也可以享受到這些時髦的高科技產品，盡管他們的這些產品是紙制的。

清明節(jié)也叫掃墓節(jié)，是人們祭拜先人的時節(jié)；隨著四月五日這一節(jié)日的到來，廣州市多家祭祀品商店已經開始將紙制“蘋果”產品擺上貨架。

在一家名為“永興行”的商店，不同顏色的紙制組合套裝（內含兩臺iPad和四臺iPhone）售價6元（90美分）；一臺紙制MacBook的售價也是6元。

打印在外包裝上的產品名稱與實際的iPhone和iPad產品名稱極為相似，但品牌名為“冥王”，即“死者之王”的意思。

這家商店老板拒絕透露其姓名，也拒絕透露該產品受歡迎的程度；但廣州火葬場外的商家們表示，他們將很快會上一些貨。

此外，祭祀品商店出售的紙制品種類應有盡有，包括松下液晶電視機、家用電器，以及更為傳統的祭祀用品，如冥幣、信用卡、衣服、機票、海鮮、汽車、別墅，洗面及護膚用品。

奢侈品也越來越受歡迎。一家商店正在首次銷售中國頂級白酒品牌之一的貴州茅臺酒。三瓶紙制茅臺酒和酒杯總共售價8元。

一位姓劉的老婦人為已故的丈夫買了一套酒品。 她說：“他生前愛喝酒。我要特地為他燒這種好酒?！?/p>

中國消費者協會在接受《重慶晚報》記者采訪時說，每年清明節(jié)期間，全國共有1000余噸的紙制品作為祭祀品化為灰燼，總價值超過100億元。

據廣州市民政局統計，今年清明節(jié)期間在公共場所進行祭拜的人數和車輛預計將分別超過去年同期的460萬和37萬。

乳豬和鮮花類傳統祭祀品的價格今年在廣州也水漲船高。

廣州酒家連鎖店總經理助理趙利生說，今年每只乳豬售價為468，去年僅為398元。趙先生將價格上漲歸因于豬肉價格不斷上漲和人力資源成本加大。

Chinese prefer 'paper Apples' as gifts for Qingming Festival

While people rush to get the latest iPhones and iPads, the deceased can also enjoy these trendy high-tech devices, although theirs will be made of paper.

With the Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, a time for paying respect to the ancestors, falling on April 5, some shops in Guangzhou selling sacrificial offerings have put paper-made versions of Apple products on their shelves.

A package of two iPads and four iPhones, paper-made and in different colors, goes for 6 yuan (90 cents), at a shop named Yongxinghang. A MacBook also costs 6 yuan.

The names of the products printed on the package closely resemble the printed names of iPhones and iPads, but the brand is mingwang, or "the king of the dead".

The shop owner, who refused to give his name, declined to say how popular the products are but vendors outside the Guangzhou Crematorium said they will get some stock soon.

Also available at sacrificial offering shops are paper versions of Panasonic LCD TV sets, and every electrical home appliance one can think of, as well as the more traditional cash, credit cards, clothes, air tickets, seafood, cars, villas, face wash and aftershave.

Luxury goods are also gaining popularity. One shop is selling Kweichow Moutai, one of China's top liquor brands, for the first time. A package of three bottles of the Moutai and cups, all made of paper, costs 8 yuan.

An elderly woman surnamed Liu bought a set for her deceased husband. "He loved drinking before. I will burn this premium liquor for him."

Every year across the country, more than 1,000 tons of paper products are burnt as offerings during the Qingming Festival period, costing more than 10 billion yuan, China Consumers' Association told Chongqing Evening News.

People worshipping their ancestors in public places in the month around the Qingming Festival this year and their vehicles are expected to surpass the 4.6 million and 370,000 recorded in Guangzhou in the same period last year, according to the city's civil affairs bureau.

This year, the prices of traditional offerings, such as suckling pig and flowers have gone up significantly in Guangzhou.

A suckling pig costs 468 yuan at the Guangzhou Restaurant chain this year, compared with 398 yuan last year, said Zhao Liping, an assistant to the general manager of the company. Zhao attributed the hike to rising pig prices and human resources costs.

(China Daily contributed the story, translated by Li Jingrong for China.org.cn March 30, 2011)