Revolutionary cemetery growing to meet cadres’ demand

Beijing is set to expand the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery to meet demand from party cadres and government officials.

"The expansion underscores the great demand from elderly party cadres to pursue posthumous honour," social commentator Professor Hu Xingdou , of the Beijing Institute of Technology, said.

The 10-hectare cemetery is the final resting place for party cadres, army leaders, scientists, writers, engineers, revolutionary martyrs and "international friends" of the Communist Party. Marshals including Zhu De and Peng Dehuai and President Xi Jinping's father, Xi Zhongxun , a former National People's Congress vice-chairman and vice-premier, are buried there.

A 620-metre-long corridor will be built to provide an additional 10,020 urn niches, according to a document released by the Municipal Construction Commission for public consultation.

Officials of the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery were not available for comment yesterday.

While it is common for other countries to have cemeteries honouring national military heroes, such as the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia in the US, the Revolutionary Cemetery at Babaoshan caters to a wide range of figures.

Only officials above the level of bureau head have been accommodated there since the cemetery expanded in 2006 with the addition of 3,500 niches.