奢侈品牌Gucci撕香港殯葬業:別用我們的牌子做祭品!

Italian luxury goods maker Gucci has sent warning letters to Hong Kong shops selling Paper versions of its products as offerings to the dead.

日前，意大利奢侈品牌古馳表示，該公司已寫信給香港的商店，要求它們停止銷售使用其品牌的祭品。

Paper replicas of items like mansions, cars, iPads and luxury bags are burnt in the belief that deceased relatives can use them in the afterlife. Demand for these products is highest during the Qingming "tomb-sweeping" festival.

中國人將高樓大廈、小車、平板以及奢侈包包等紙質仿真祭品焚燒給已故的親人，因爲人們相信，他們在陰間能使用這些東西。在一年一度的清明節期間，這類商品的需求會達到頂峯。

"We fully respect the funeral context and we trust that the store owners did not have the intention to infringe Gucci's trademark," Gucci Hong Kong said in a statement. "Thus a letter was sent on an informational basis to let these stores know about the products they were carrying, and by asking them to stop selling those items."

古馳香港在一份聲明中寫道：“我們完全尊重相關的殯葬習俗，並相信相關商鋪的持有人並非蓄意侵害古馳商標。因此，我們向這些商鋪發出資料性信函，讓商鋪了解到他們正在涉及的品牌商品，並請求他們停止售賣該等產品。”

The ancient Tradition of venerating one's ancestors, even after death, is alive and well in the Chinese speaking world. If you want to avoid bad luck, the belief goes, then you'd better keep your ancestors happy.

在講中文的國度和地區，尊重長輩的古老傳統一直很盛行，即使是在他們死後。這種信仰認爲，如果你想避免黴運，那最好讓祖先們在陰間過得舒適開心。

How? Traditionally, it was by regularly tending their graves, bringing them fresh fruit and gourmet food and drink and burning joss paper. Also known as "hell money" or "ghost money", they are pieces of paper money in outrageous denominations, which are meant for use in the afterlife.

那怎麼做呢？傳統習俗是這樣的：定期修整墳墓，給他們帶去新鮮水果、美食、飲料，還要給他們燒紙錢。紙錢也被稱作冥幣，是一些面額大得離譜的鈔票，方便他們在陰間消費。

And these days, devotees can burnish their reputation with their deceased ancestors by offering items that many were never able to enjoy while still alive: luxury cars with European drivers, brand-name clothing. One of the best sellers at these shops are enormous villas complete with swimming pools, multiple car garages and Western domestic helpers.

如今，後人們爲了顯示自己的孝順，都給祖先們燒一些他們在世時未曾享受過的東西：歐洲進口的豪車、名牌服裝等。而最暢銷的商品之一就是帶有游泳池、多個車庫和西式幫傭的豪華別墅。

In Hong Kong, some of the shops that had reportedly received the letters had removed their Gucci wares. But other brands, including Louis Vuitton, Yves St Laurent, Burberry and New Balance were still on sale.

據報道，一些收到信件的香港商店已經將古馳手包撤下架。然而，其他一些品牌，比如LV、YSL、Burberry和New Balance仍在出售。

Hong Kong residents shared a mixture of comedy and scorn on social media.

香港市民在社交平臺上表達了對此事的觀點，有些人覺得好笑，有些人覺得不屑。

"Does Gucci want to open branches in the underworld?" Vincent Charles asked.

Vincent Charles說，“古馳是要把連鎖店開到陰間去嗎？”

Sammi Ng said on Facebook: "Maybe Gucci should launch their own paper offering products."

Sammi Ng在臉書說上，“或許，古馳自己應該開一家仿真祭品店。”

Sai Ken made reference to Gucci pricing: "Living people cannot afford (Gucci products), and they still do not let you own Gucci products after death!"

Sai Ken則提及了古馳的奢侈，“人們活着時買不起古馳，到死了，還是沒有享用古馳的機會。”