TOGETHER FOREVER

Everyone has different interpretations of the afterlife. For Xia Bingbing, life after death, at least in the case of her late dog, takes place in the metaverse.

Though she lost her 14-year-old brown poodle in March, Xia still feeds and walks it every day in a virtual world called Metaborn.

"I can buy dog food for her regularly and accompany her to learn new skills using the website. Such interactions make me believe that she is living well in another world," said the 28-year-old Shanghai resident.

Metaborn is part of the pet funeral package offered by Goodbye Dear, which operates seven branches in Shanghai. The company charges 899 yuan ($125.5) for a basic package that includes a memorial service and cremation. Most clients also opt for a casket and other souvenirs and typically spend more than 1,000 yuan.

Though Metaborn was made available only a few months ago, the virtual world service already has 3,000 users. Metaborn is currently the only platform of its kind in the Chinese market.

According to Zhou Yeye, a co-founder of Goodbye Dear, the system is powered by artificial intelligence and augmented reality and can recreate a virtual version of one's pet that displays the same features and habits. Pet owners can also choose to have their late pets take on a different form, like a fairy, for example, in the virtual world.

Although Metaborn does not have a subscription fee, users have to pay to buy offerings like virtual food and new pet skills. While most of these offerings cost as low as 9.9 yuan, virtual homes for pets within Metaborn cost at least 1,000 yuan.

The number of new pet funeral services like the metaverse Goodbye Dear offers customers has been growing in recent years as more and more people in the city are becoming pet owners.

Consumption related to pet dogs and cats in Chinese cities in 2022 amounted to 270.6 billion yuan, up 8.7 percent year on year, according to the 2022 China Pets Consumption Report.

A report by Pethadoop, a big data platform for the pet industry, also showed that dog and cat owners spent an average of 2,882 yuan and 1,883 yuan on their pets in 2022, up 9.4 percent and 3.1 percent respectively from the previous year.

"Just like how the number of pet shops and vet clinics in Chinese cities have surged over the past few years, I think funeral services will become more commonplace as more and more residents are keeping pets," said Zhou, 36, before noting that such services started emerging about three years ago.

He pointed out that the overall volume of the market will not be very large, as it is an industry driven by high consumption but low frequency.

Since its founding in 2019, Goodbye Dear's portfolio of services has been expanded to include those for pet turtles, rabbits, and hamsters.

"Some people spent just 30 yuan to buy a hamster but are willing to spend roughly 1,000 yuan on a memorial service for it. Some clients have also purchased our services for stray cats that they had fed in the neighborhood for years," said Zhou.

Goodbye Dear, which receives an average of four orders for funeral services every day, also provides private cremations, which are more expensive than the conventional mass cremations, as well as embalming, which is necessary for those who want to hold memorials for their pets before cremation. According to Shanghai regulation, all dead pets must be cremated.

Other services include private cremations and the transformation of the remains into souvenirs like pendants and sculptures.

Among those who have opted for private cremations is Liu Qingxue.

"My dog is timid so I don't want it to be cremated together with other dogs," said the 29-year-old. "I also chose the commercial funeral service as the shops offer pick up services for the carcass as well as options on how the remains are handled."

Jin Ruini, who lost her dog in May, is another person who has used such services. She recalled that the mortician picked up her dog within an hour before performing the embalming process, which involves cleaning the carcass, brushing the fur and applying cream on the body parts. Wreaths are used to conceal obvious wounds on the body.

On the second day, a small memorial service featuring flowers and candles was held before the cremation took place on the third day. Jin, who received pictures and videos throughout the process as she was too engulfed with grief to be a part of the process, was presented with the souvenirs made from the remains on the fourth day.

"Although some people don't come in person, they will write a letter to their pets and we'll put the letter under the pet's head at the memorial service," Zhou noted.

"There have also been occasions where the entire family turned up for the memorial. I remember in one case, the pet's owner was a senior citizen who brought more than 10 family members to the memorial service. Such occasions are no different from a funeral for a human."

Looking ahead, Zhou said the company is planning to introduce nursing care for elderly pets, a service he believes will see huge demand within the coming decade.

"Similar to nursing care for the elderly people, care for elderly pets, including those suffering from paralysis, visual problems, chronic diseases, and bone ailments that influence their motion, also requires professionals with specific skill sets," said Zhou.

Goodbye Dear will also be working with its partners to develop smart wearable devices that can monitor the vital signs of pets with serious health conditions.

A growing trade

The growth of this industry has led to a rise in demand for professions like pet morticians. Formerly a human resources specialist, Wu Jun made the switch to becoming a mortician at a Goodbye Dear store in Shanghai's Putuo district in May.

"I grew up with pets and I love animals. I feel this job can help me better achieve self-realization. Many clients have expressed their appreciation for the help we have provided and this motivates me as well," he said.

Zhou said his team has trained dozens of people to become pet morticians over the past few years. The company has also helped them to open their own stores and new Goodbye Dear branches. According to Zhou, several ex-trainees have partnered to open more than 10 stores in Shanghai as well as in the neighboring Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Anhui provinces in recent years.

Another pet mortician, who wanted to be identified as her nickname Guoguo, has been working in the field for two years after graduating from university. She majored in information technology at university but had worked part time as a mortician for pets during her schooling years.

The 24-year-old said that the store she works at in Shanghai's Hongkou district receives three to five orders a day. Over the past two years, she has helped send off more than 1,000 animals.

"I love my job and it gives me a sense of achievement," said Guoguo, who has had pets since childhood.

"I believe that all creatures are equal in the face of death, and it's a respectable thing to send them off in a decent way. Some people say working in this industry is easy and fairly profitable. But we need to be on call around the clock. I do this job out of love for the animals."