A graveyard lies among magnificent mountains, where middle-aged women tout new tombs to passers-by. Workers mysteriously erect tombs without epitaphs.
In south China's scenic area of Guilin, sales of illegally built tombs have sprouted up as worries of a price surge for graves prevail among locals who wish for a traditional burial.
On Sunday, China's state broadcaster CCTV reported that hundreds of illegal tombs have been built at Raoshan Mountain, a national-level tourist attraction in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Many residents buy the tombs there long before their deaths, hoping to snap up a good place to rest before it's "too expensive to buy," according to CCTV.
With beautiful scenery and a long river flowing by, Raoshan Mountain is considered a perfect place for the deceased, and generations of feudal royalty were buried there.
Xinhua reporters visited the spot on Thursday and found scores of newly erected tombs without epitaphs. The words "tombs for sale" and a phone number were written on the graves, and the graveyard appeared to be poorly designed with tombs scattered all over the place.
Halfway up the mountain, a dozen workers were building new tombs. On the way to the scenic spot, several women attempted to sell new tombs to those who passed. Banners fluttered in the wind with ads that read, "Old tomb removal and new tomb building," and listed a contact number.
A villager told Xinhua that graves in the government-developed graveyard near Raoshan are both small and quite expensive, forcing many to find villagers in the area to help erect tombs.
"There are no official procedures to go through, and the fees are quite cheap," said the villager.
Some even buy tombs for their entire family in case tomb prices surge in the future, a middle-aged villager said.
"Some of the buyers are younger than me," the villager said.
Every Tomb-sweeping Day in early April, local villagers charge "management fees" to look after the tombs, he added.
The reports caused a buzz online, with many netizens saying they were surprised by the illegal businesses.
"It's shocking that those alive would order tombs at a young age," read a typical comment on microblog Sina Weibo.
Others said the illegal businesses reflect management loopholes and the local government needs to step up supervision.
Representatives with Guilin's civil affairs bureau said they are aware of the situation, but urged joint efforts in tackling the issue.
On Monday, the local government issued a notice demanding some of the biggest illegal tombs to be dismantled before Thursday. Other small ones have been identified and will be pulled down soon, said the government.
Anyone who fails to obey the rules will be punished accordingly, said the notice.
High demand and tight land resources have pushed up tomb prices in a graying China, with many complaining that "they cannot afford to die." Earlier this month, a 0.2-square-meter grave vault reportedly sold for 10,000 yuan (1,614 U.S. dollars) in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province.
