Source:
https://scmp.com/news/china/article/1078531/destruction-chinese-tombs-outrages-scholars
China

Destruction of Chinese tombs outrages scholars

Henan launched its “tomb-flattening” policy in May in selected cities, including Zhoukou, Luoyang, Nanyang, and Shagnqiu. Locals are being asked to give up tomb space and instead cremate dead relatives. They then receive 500 yuan (HK$625) in compensation.

An photo of a poster on Weibo criticizes the policy. Photo: a screenshot from Sina Weibo.

Two million tombs in China’s central province of Henan were destroyed this year to make room for farm land, newspapers and websites on the mainland reported on Friday.

Local residents and scholars across China expressed their outrage via the internet. The removal of the tombs is part of a new policy by the Henan provincial government to provide more land for agriculture use. Since Thursday, hundreds of intellectuals and citizens have joined an online petition via Weibo, China’s twitter-like service. They urged the authorities to end the controversial policy.