Matrix barcodes on tombs

A two-dimensional quick response barcode (QR code) is affixed to a tombstone to offer smartphone users extended information about the person buried beneath in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, March 28, 2013. Scanned with digital gadgets, the square images will provide information and stories about the deceased through photos and videos. Relatives can set passwords to protect levels of privacy, said Wang Bo, a regional manager of a network company that produced the codes. Wang said the code stickers are currently mainly applied to tombs of celebrities and martyrs. Cemeteries in Chinese cities including Shanghai, Shenyang and Fujian have seen a growing number of QR code stickers on headstones alongside their engraved epitaphs. The Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day falls on April 4 this year. [Photo/CFP]