Solemn prayers for lost children

A parent writes a wish on a balloon for her lost child during a ceremony in Shanghai, March 24. Parents who lost their only child held a ceremony to pray for their child as Tomb Sweeping Day draws near. More than 160 parents attended the ceremony, writing wish cards and releasing balloons to express for their loss. More than 7,000 families have lost their only child in Shanghai. Tomb Sweeping Day, or Qingming - which falls on April 4 this year - is a national festival for people to honor and remember their deceased loved-ones at cemeteries and memorials. [Photo/CFP]