China launched its sixth on-line public memorial for national
martyrs in Beijing Sunday four days ahead of China's traditional
day to honor ancestors, Qingming Festival.
The on-line memorial allows Chinese to show their respect for
China's national martyrs through the website, www.china5000.org.cn,
from April 1 to 6.
Visitors to the website could make comments and tributes, said
the Chinese Communist Youth League (CCYL), one of the website's
initiators.
The website had received 135 million visits from Internet users
in the past five years, sources with the CCYL said.
Qingming Festival or Tomb-Sweeping Day is the time for Chinese
people to honor their ancestors and it falls on April 5 this
year.
Traditionally, tens of millions of Chinese visit the tombs of
their forbears and students gather to honor martyrs around Qingming
Day.
In recent years, the government has advised people to avoid
lighting funerary money at grave sites and to pay their respects
via the Internet as more on-line funerary sites have opened.
The on-line memorial, jointly initiated by the CCYL and the
office on building an advanced culture and ideology of the
Communist Party of China Central Committee, is co-organized by more
than 1,000 websites including xinhuanet.com, people.com.cn and
sina.com.cn.
(Xinhua News Agency April 1, 2007)