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Fran Lu

A group of public servants in China have come under fire for urging a rural family to cremate their relative while he was still alive and in earshot.
On August 19, a villager in eastern China’s Anhui province posted a video exposing local government officials for promoting cremation while an elderly member of a family was lying sick and dying.
It is a local custom to place a dying person on the floor.
The officials told the family about the perks of cremation, including their policy of providing such services for free, while their elderly relative was awake and listening.

The video sparked public outrage.
“It is very inappropriate to advertise cremation at such a time. The family was quite polite as they only quarrelled verbally with the officials instead of fighting,” an online observer said.
Traditionally, talking about death is taboo in China, as it is believed to bring bad luck and the inevitability closer.
The local government issued an apology the next day, saying that its staff were publicising their services throughout the village and did not target the family.
However, some people refused to accept the explanation.

China has been dedicated to funeral and burial reforms since issuing the country’s first legislation related to such services in 1985.
Many countryside public servants have been assigned to persuade people who hold the traditional belief that “to be buried is to rest in peace” to opt for cremation, which is considered ecological and space-saving.
Some online observers said that their local government would “go after” people immediately after a member of their family dies to ensure they are cremated.
Some said their families were allowed to put the ashes into coffins before burial.
“I wonder how that is different from traditional burials,” one online viewer said.
According to official data, China’s cremation rate increased from the earliest record of 26.2 per cent in 1986 to 58.8 per cent in 2012.

China has also been vigorously promoting more ecological burials such as tree and sea burials in urban areas, offering subsidies to people who opt for such methods.
According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, 195,000 eco-burials were made in 2014, a 67 per cent increase on 2019.
Another online observer expressed understanding for the government staff.
“The policy discourages traditional burials, so many villagers secretly bury their dead at night. The village cadres would be fined in such cases,” the person said.


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Official push to save space, protect environment by discouraging burials leads public servants to ‘target’ families of dead


Official push to save space, protect environment by discouraging burials leads public servants to ‘target’ families of dead.


Chinese officials urge family to cremate sick man lying on floor, shocking mainland public

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Official push to save space, protect environment by discouraging burials leads public servants to ‘target’ families of dead

Official push to save space, protect environment by discouraging burials leads public servants to ‘target’ families of dead