Growing population, urbanization causes grave prices to soar

World Today

The growing population in China has put a strain on burial sites and space, especially in bigger cities.

CCTV’s Ning Hong reports.

The price of a grave has tripled over the past several years in Beijing. The latest report issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs shows that the some public cemeteries now charge over two hundred thousand Yuan (around 3087 U.S. dollars) for half a square meter.

“The population is too large in China; the number of newly-deceased people is nearly ten million annually and is still increasing by a million every year,” Wang Dan whose been running funeral services for three years said.

Demand is high, especially in populated cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, which are short of land for new cemeteries.

There are many factors that will affect people’s choice of cemetery, and some are deeply rooted in Chinese culture. It may take a generation before people accept new customs to the ceremony and finding a cemetery.