At a cemetery in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, you will soon be able to "call up" the deceased using mobile phone technology.

Now you can use your phone to 'call' the dead.

There are plans to incorporate a QR (quick response) code on graves in Shengjing cemetery if relatives request the service. By scanning the code using their phones, visitors can find out about the late person's life, the local Liaoshen Evening News reported.

More than 10 people have applied for the service so far, wishing to share their loved ones' life stories, cemetery manager Hu Yefeng said.

Scanning the code will give access to a web page where relatives and friends can upload photos or videos to commemorate the deceased.

Opinion among China's online community is divided. While some think it's a great idea, others say it is disrespectful.

"It's a great use of new technology to remember relatives and friends who have died," said one microblogger.

But another wrote: "Oh my god! People cannot have peace even after their death."

There was also the comment: "It's so scary and it doesn't respect the dead."

QR codes, a type of barcode created for the Japanese auto industry, are widely seen in China.

"The popularity of smartphones and the development of mobile internet services in China has provided a mature business ecosystem for QR codes. More people are becoming familiar with them," Wang Pengfei, CEO of a Beijing-based code company, said.

Mobile phone users can scan codes on posters in restaurants, shopping malls and movie theaters to receive membership cards or coupons.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)