The State Council of Beijing on Monday approved a ban on keeping the ashes of the deceased in unoccupied “residential accommodation” specially dedicated to this use, a practice which had gained popularity in China in the face of rising funeral costs.
The new regulations in force now explicitly prohibit “the use of residential accommodation specifically intended for the burial of ashes”. According to the Council, human remains can only be buried in designated areas, such as public cemeteries.
Half annual salary
Organizing funerals accounted for almost half of China’s average annual salary in 2020, according to a survey by British insurance company SunLife.
At the same time, the cost of housing continued to fall, due to a crisis in the real estate sector.
In this context, “apartments for ashes” have developed, located in isolated and sparsely populated residential complexes, and which can be less expensive than a plot in a public cemetery, according to local media.
On Tuesday, the country’s market watchdog announced a new set of rules aimed at tackling fraud and lack of transparency in funeral pricing to “reduce the burden of funerals on the population.”
