Culture Commercialised
Summary
A delivery company in central China, UU Paotui, sparked controversy after launching Lunar New Year services that allowed couriers to perform tasks such as hanging couplets, delivering gifts, conveying blessings, and even kneeling or kowtowing to elders on behalf of customers who could not return home. The most premium package included live-streamed rituals, highlighting how traditional expressions of filial piety were being adapted into paid services. While the company said the initiative aimed to maintain emotional connections for people separated by work or distance, public reactions were divided. Supporters viewed it as a practical and thoughtful solution, whereas critics argued that deeply personal traditions like kowtowing should not be commercialised and risk becoming superficial. Following the backlash, the company removed the kowtowing option, though other festive assistance services remain available.
Application
When actions rooted in moral values are turned into paid services, they risk losing the ethical meaning that once gave them significance. Acts such as filial piety, care, or respect derive their moral worth from the sincerity of participation and the personal intention behind them, not merely from the outcome produced. The moment these acts are outsourced or monetised, they shift from expressions of duty and affection into transactions, and their symbolic value becomes diluted. This reveals the limits of commercialisation: not everything meaningful can or should be converted into a product.