I recently read an article from the South China Morning Post that you can read here.  The article touches on the fact that the Jiangnan City Daily reported that about 400 villagers in Shangrao county of Jiangxi province were paid about 1,000 yuan (about $159) to have their caskets crushed.

The article goes on to say that the local government said that cremation helps the environment and conservation of land.  Local authorities also said the coffin wood would be burned to generate power.  They concluded by saying that this was in line with the central government’s initiative to phase out resource-heavy burials and promote more eco-friendly funerals such as cremation.

Many of the caskets seemed to be given up freely by citizens for the payment, such as by resident Wu Zongxi, who was quoted in the article as saying, “Us older generation have to set an example and educate the younger generation to change their customs.”  However, the article also states that it appeared that some citizens were forced to part with their caskets.

Funeral Director Daily take:  When I read this article it really seemed strange to me.  First of all, I have a friend who was married to a Chinese citizen and when her dad died he told me that there was no question about him being cremated.  He told me of a visit to a large crematory where the family watched him being put into the crematory.

So, people having caskets – and especially prior to their death – made me really wonder.  However, I did some more investigating and found out that in 2005 the cremation rate in China was about 53%.  At that time the central government, for several different reasons, put a goal of 100% cremations in China by 2020.  As we near 2020 they are not at the 100% rate and they are now doing things, such as purchasing pre-bought or built caskets, to incentivise  people into cremation.  I’ve also found out that many people in China have had their casket in their possession for a decade or longer prior to the need for such.

It was interesting for me to learn more about this goal of 100% cremation for the country.  I’ve also learned that their are for-profit Chinese death care companies that are very bullish on what the cremation market is bringing them in the sense of niches, memorialization, etc.  I’ll do some more studying up on the subject and bring an article on the business of death in China in the next few weeks.

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