The Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a three-day national holiday, held from April 3 to 5, here in China.
In the millennia-old tradition, the Chinese visit cemeteries to pay respect to the dead.
People flock to graveyards across the country to pay tribute to their ancestors or commemorate their dead family and friends.
Many rituals mark the festival, but mostly the Chinese visit graves to clear away debris, hence the name tomb-sweeping, and place fresh lilies and chrysanthemums at their loves ones' final resting place.
In some cases they also leave prepared food, light incense and burn paper offerings, including money.
Among the Chinese, it is generally considered taboo to speak about the dead, except during the festival.
Death is a subject many steer clear of for fear of drawing bad luck.
Some even avoid the number four because the Mandarin words for death and four sound so similar.
So the powers-that-be also used the festival to cautiously highlight a growing problem in China - a growing population, limited land and the high cost of funerals.
Xinhau says Chinese tradition holds that ashes should be buried underground in urns, and fancy tombs are often built to show filial piety to the dead.
However, the custom has put a strain on land resources.
Local media warn that plots in Beijing cemeteries are increasing by more than 30% a year. The Chinese government is encouraging alternative and environmentally friendly burials.
In Beijing, last weekend, local citizens, in a first of its kind, held a mass funeral where the dead were cremated and their ashes placed in biodegradable cinerary coffins and buried separately.
The government incurred the cost and also offered to pay the US581 (R7994) for a corresponding funeral service.
Families each received a commemorative plaque imprinted with a QR code which contained information of the deceased and when relatives could proceed with the private memorial service.
Natural burials have been gaining popularity in Beijing since 2008, when the government began to offer free service to residents who wished to scatter their loved ones' ashes at sea.
But the problem is not China’s alone; it’s a challenge in many parts of the world. Britain, says the BBC, has been considering recycling plots by removing remains from older graves, burying them deeper and reusing the space on top for a fresh burial.
Germany reuses graves after several years.
Spain has a crypt where bodies lie for several years. Once decomposed, the remains are buried in a communal burial ground.
In Singapore, private companies are in the business of storing urns. One such company stores 50000 urns, which can be retrieved with an electronic card.
In South Africa, the issue goes beyond space and customs, and the reluctance of the majority of the population to adopt alternative measures proves challenging.
But in-ground burials are unsustainable given that existing cemeteries are filling up, and new cemeteries face competing demands for other land use.
Melanie Peters is the Live Editor of Weekend Argus.
She is on a 10-month scholarship with the China Africa Press Centre.
Instagram: mels_chinese_takeout