Cremation push brings a backlash, says expert

Despite controversies, ministry official expects that 'inevitable' reform will not be impeded

Authorities should not take radical measures to increase the number of cremations, a government think tank expert said as the country prepares to unveil a new regulation on funeral affairs by the end of the year.

Li Bosen, head of the 101 Institute of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, a government think tank that specializes in research of funeral affairs, said radical efforts by local authorities to increase the cremation rate has resulted in incidents such as body snatching and elders committing suicide before the funeral reform is carried out.

"Such cases were backlashes against the radical measures and have resulted in widespread discontent of the public," he said.

The institute released its Report on Funeral Development of China (2014-15) on Wednesday.

In a work conference last year, the ministry said it was targeting a cremation rate of close to 100 percent by the end of 2020.

The regulation, which was last revised 11 years ago, is difficult to implement, Li said.

Zhang Shifeng, head of the department of social affairs at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, said that "the issue of funeral affairs is very controversial in society due to the country's deep-rooted funeral traditions". However, he said that funeral reform will not be impeded by controversies and that cremation is still arguably the inevitable option of the reform.

The country's cremation rate declined to 49.5 percent in 2012 from 53 percent in 2005 due to resistance from the general public, Zhang said.

"Cases such as the relocation of tombs, rather than removal, met resistance that was so strong that people are defying law enforcement," he said.

In one of the most high-profile cases, authorities in Henan province launched a project in 2012 to relocate 3.5 million ancestral tombs to make space for farmland, which was met by strong resistance from residents.

Meanwhile, Zhang said, the authority will continue to push forward burials that are ecological and take up as little land as possible amid accelerated urbanization.

"The saving of land is the most important factor. We found that there are many areas that are building large tombs in the name of ecological burials," he said.

China has 1,784 funeral homes and 4,372 funeral service institutions as of 2013, with a total of 1,506 cemeteries nationwide, according to the report on funeral development released on Wednesday.