BEIJING: “Pet spirit money” in various currencies has emerged as a burgeoning trend, with many promoting “luxury dog funerals” that include paper servants and companion pets, as well as unique paper offerings such as salmon, tuna, steak, Wagyu beef and dried chicken.
In China, holding funerals for loved ones and burning joss paper have long been revered mourning traditions, originally intended to express remembrance and respect for the deceased, as well as to convey the hope that they will thrive in the afterlife.
However, as the pet industry continues to flourish in China, a growing array of pet services modelled after human practices has emerged, including pet funerals, with many owners adopting similar rituals to commemorate and process their grief for deceased companions.
At these pet funeral services, memorial ceremonies are thoughtfully arranged, featuring floral displays, farewell blankets, memorial walls and paw-print keepsake boxes, providing pets with a dignified final goodbye.
Amid this trend, a niche market for “pet joss paper” and funeral offerings has also surfaced, creating a new business opportunity.
Numerous online stores now offer pet-related ritual paper items.
For instance, some vendors provide elaborate “luxury pet funeral” packages priced at 239.8 yuan (US$35), which may include up to 139 paper offerings, such as shampoo, washing machines, air conditioners, and even symbolic servants or companion pets, along with gold and silver ingots.
“One year has passed, and I still miss my baby so much. I hope it receives these and enjoys them. I hope we can meet again,” wrote one customer in a review after purchasing pet joss paper from an online store.
Some sellers also offer burning services on behalf of customers, with fees ranging from 19.9 to 28.8 yuan.
Customer service staff at one store told Jimu News that these pet spirit money offerings and memorial items are entirely paper-based.
They are typically burned on designated pet remembrance days or whenever owners wish to honour and remember their deceased pets.
On short video platforms, factories producing pet memorial products have been actively showcasing and promoting their “pet spirit money.”
These products feature highly realistic designs, including paper food items such as salmon, tuna, steak, Wagyu beef and dried chicken.
“This is our pet spirit money, Norwegian salmon, and next to it is our grain-fed steak. All of these are offerings made entirely of paper, meant to be burned. We also produce pet spirit money in US dollars, British pounds and euros,” a merchant stated in an online video.
Wang Xianyou, president of the Anhui Province Folklore Society, told Dawan News that burning joss paper and other paper offerings for pets cannot be categorised as a new folk custom.
Rather, it is a product of both emotional expression and commercial promotion.
“On one hand, in today’s fast-paced world, some individuals use rituals that mimic human mourning practices to cope with and alleviate their grief after the loss of a pet. On the other hand, commercial promotion has amplified this behaviour, gradually bringing it into the public eye and making it more widely accepted,” he explained.
According to the 2026 China Pet Industry White Paper (Consumption Report), the urban pet market reached 312.6 billion yuan (US$46 billion) last year and is projected to grow to 405 billion yuan by 2028.
In this rapidly growing trend, not only is spending on pet-related products continuing to rise, but the medical sector has also seen an increase in the frequency of treatments.
However, the trend of burning paper offerings for pets has sparked debate, as some netizens believe it is largely a marketing gimmick driven by commercial hype.
One person questioned: “Pet spirit money? Isn’t this just attention-grabbing nonsense?”
Another echoed: “Dogs don’t even use money, so what’s the point of burning this?”
“You should be more filial to your parents instead,” a third person stated.
Meanwhile, another joked: “Judging by the denominations, it seems even pets face inflation in the afterlife!” - South China Morning Post
