Staff members at a cemetery in Wuhan, Hubei Province, knelt down crying in front of a tomb on behalf of a woman on Friday, which was broadcasted live on WeChat.

Cemetery staff member Chai Guanghua, who has worked there for four years, received a special request from Wuhan native Wu Qing in March, who asked him to replace her to sweep the tomb of her mother, and also said, “It’d be better if he could read my words with emotion and cry.” Though startled at the request, which is not usually included in the terms of the valet service, Chai agreed and even succeeded in shedding some tears by recalling his own sad stories. “Since it was live, I couldn’t use eye drops to pretend I was crying.”

The whole visit was broadcasted live to Wu via WeChat, and she was grateful that Chai was able to help her fulfill her filial duties. “I feel so sorry,” she said. Wu ran away from home six years ago and didn’t know that her mother died of cancer until she returned to Wuhan. She now lives and works in Beijing. “I really wanted to go and see her, but as a mother, it is not that easy anymore.”

The service of tomb sweeping on behalf of others began in 2014 when an increasing number of people asked about it. There are three categories of services, with prices varying from 500 yuan (about 73 US dollars) to 1,600 yuan (about 232 US dollars), from which clients can choose, depending on whether they just need a cleaning of the tomb or a soulful chant of the funeral oration. Furthermore, as a response to certain people’s needs determines who will be more engaged, the cemetery has recently launched its live broadcast service.