Website aims to fill funeral info gap

A national online platform for funeral and burial services was launched on Sunday, coinciding with Tomb Sweeping Day, aiming to improve service transparency and accessibility while addressing public concerns over pricing and information gaps.

The website, known as "China Funeral Network" (https://www.zgbznet.com.cn), was developed under the guidance of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. It is designed to support bereaved families by providing centralized and authoritative information across key stages of funeral arrangements, including mourning, burial and memorial services.

The platform offers access to government service portals for post-death affairs nationwide. Featuring a "one-stop" service model, it includes a map-based interface that shows the locations of funeral homes, columbaria and cemeteries across the country, along with detailed information on available services, procedures and pricing. Users can search by region, distance and type of institution.

According to officials, civil affairs departments from 31 provincial-level regions, as well as the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, participated in the platform's development and rollout.

"The platform will help bereaved families quickly locate funeral service resources and better understand service pricing, effectively addressing information asymmetry during funeral arrangements," said Xu Zesheng, a senior official with the Ministry of Civil Affairs' funeral services task force.

In addition to service-related information, the website features sections on policies and regulations, industry developments and case alerts. These resources are intended to serve both the general public and service providers seeking authoritative updates, cultural insights and professional training materials.

Authorities said they will continue expanding the platform's functions to promote environmentally friendly burial practices and more civilized, frugal forms of memorialization.

Separately, six newly revised or formulated industry standards for funeral services came into effect on the same day, focusing on digitalization and improving service quality.

Among them, a standard on the communication architecture and interface requirements for funeral internet of things systems sets technical guidelines for digital infrastructure, aiming to support funeral governance and service innovation.

Another standard regulates data sharing and exchange between civil affairs authorities and service institutions, such as funeral homes, cemeteries and columbaria, strengthening data transmission and application capabilities.

A revised public satisfaction evaluation standard sets out principles, indicators and procedures for assessing service quality, providing a basis for targeted improvements.

In addition, a set of standards on electronic certification for funeral services, covering cremation, ash storage and burial, aims to streamline digital documentation across key processes and strengthen the foundation for data-driven management.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs said it will continue refining the standards system and strengthening oversight to promote the healthy and regulated development of the funeral services sector.