The staff of Yuhuatai Martyrs’ Cemetery in Nanjing dust tombstones on Monday. People around China spend Qingming Festival visiting and sweeping family tombs and burning paper money to pay their respects to departed loved ones. Photo: Yang Bo, China News Service/VCG

During Qingming Festival, people usually place chrysanthemums on tombs, as this flower is associated with death in China. Photo: VCG

People wear black and carry chrysanthemums on a Qingming Festival visit to the tombs at a cemetery in Wuhan, Central China’s Hubei province. Photo: VCG

A girl places a bouquet of white chrysanthemums on a tomb in Nanjing’s Yuhuatai Martyrs’ Cemetery on Monday, to remember Communist martyrs and send condolences. Photo: VCG

Standing between the tombstones, a man holds a bouquet of flowers at a cemetery in Guangzhou, South Guangdong province, during Qingming Festival. Photo: Chen Jimin, China News Service/VCG

Chrysanthemums are placed on a tomb in Nanjing Yuhuatai Martyrs’ Cemetery, East China’s Jiangsu province, on Monday. Photo: VCG

A drone light display of a chrysanthemum is staged over the city of Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong province, on Saturday. Photo: VCG

Armed police salute to departed police dogs on Monday in Nanning, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Sunday. Photo: VCG

A plaque at the crash site of Flight MU5735 to commemorate the 132 people who died in Teng county, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Photo: VCG

Qingming falls 15 days after Spring Equinox in the Chinese lunar calendar, and has been observed by the Chinese for over 2,500 years. Photo: VCG