A prolonged journey

This paper examines the evolving dynamics of mourning practices within the Chinese context, emphasizingns from Chinese the English translat on is given in the main text, and the role of AI-driven digital technologies in the resocialization of the deceased. Drawing on the concept quare ac For mp-ut F (sic)(sic)(sic) [ g i l g Chili is h nd slaionsfrom Chinese contents inthistext aremadeby theauhors of mediational performance (Bauman, 2004) as a key feature of vernacular authority, we explore how digital resurrection through chatbots and avatars mediates the relationship between the living and afterlife by re-socializing the departed. The advent of digital technologies introduces a paradigm shift, as the AI avatars replicate the deceased's social roles, generating an uncanny presence that re-enchants mourning rituals. This re-enchantment is predicated on the sacrifice of the visage (the social role of the deceased person) ultimately producing the illusion ofan authenticface. Such agency enables a digital resurrection of the deceased that, while providing an illusion of continuity, threatens the fluidity of cultural memory. In turn, this process shapesthedynamicinterplaybetweenpastandpresent through algorithmic simulation, prompting a critical re-evaluation of how vernacular authority is constructed and legitimized.