What gift or message would you send to your ancestors?

The scramble to find iPads and iPhones to send to the dead during China's Qingming Festival is an unusual reminder of how pervasive the high-tech gadgets have become in that country's popular culture.

Typically, Chinese families leave paper replicas of money and luxury items such as cars and bottles of wine at the graves of their ancestors during the festival.

But the hottest items during this year's festival are paper replicas of iPads and iPhones, according to the Xinhua news agency.

Qingming day, or Tomb Sweeping Day, traces its origins to the Confucian teaching of loyalty to one's family, and is celebrated in China and other Asian countries where the faith is common.

Replicas of all sorts are sold at variety stores and by vendors across Asia.

Malaysian shopkeeper Jeffrey Te was selling paper replicas of the iPad 2 - painted and labelled to look like an actual tablet computer - for 10 yuan, or about $1.60, Reuters reported. They were sold out almost immediately.
"I can only offer them the first iPad model," Te told Reuters, pointing to his shelves of paper first-generation iPads, as well as Samsung cellular phones and paper gadgets. The replicas list an 888-gigabyte capacity - the number eight is lucky in Chinese tradition.

Micgadget explains that while family members might want to show off the latest gadgets to loved ones who liked electronics when they were alive, others send items that they believe one would need in the afterlife. Replica clothes, shoes, chairs and money are popular items.

One Taiwanese website allows you to order from a diverse collection of elaborate paper replicas from make-up sets to video game consoles.