TRADITONAL BELIEFS MEET MODERN TIMES

The Lianhua Cemetery in southwest China's Sichuan Province started a natural burial program last year. The cemetary has designated a natural burial section with 20,000 tomb pits.

"Only 18 of them have been sold in over a year and most people still prefer the traditional tombs, even though each green burial pit only costs about 1,000 yuan, which is about two-thirds of the price of a traditional one," said Luo Yongtian, director of the natural burial section.

Among ten local residents randomly interviewed by Xinhua in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province, none of them said they would choose green burial for their relatives even though they all agreed that it is a more "civilized and environmentally-friendly" form of burial.

Those interviewed said that green burial would make them feel guilty and they were afraid of being condemned by others.

In the Chinese traditional value system, hosting elaborate funerals for deceased parents is a way of showing filial piety.

Ancient Chinese people strongly believed in life after death. They called the grave the "Yin" home, which was counterbalanced by the "Yang" home dwelled in by the living. Based on this belief, the dead could not have a good afterlife without a good "Yin" home, much like not having a good life without a "Yang" home.

Additionally, some Chinese people believe that the locations and conditions of an ancestor's grave influence the destiny of both living and future generations. It is important, then, to select an ideal grave based on principles of feng shui, a set of ancient aesthetic principles used to orient buildings and, often, grave sites.

Because such high importance is placed on one's final resting place, many Chinese do not mind investing heavily in graves with good feng shui or a nice, natural environment.

Zhao Quanpeng, a professor at Hainan University, believes that the influence of the traditional burial philosophy will persist into the future.

"Still, more and more Chinese people will prefer green burial to the traditonal one when they gain a hightened awareness of envrionmental protection and greater understanding of the new burial alternative," Zhao added.

Source: Xinhua

Editor: Xie Fang