China is facing a severe land shortage problem.
With shortage of cemeteries in the country, China has launched its first dedicated sea burial ship, which undertook its maiden mission in the northern port city of Tianjin earlier this week.
The ship, named Guobin 9, made two trips on the first mission, with a total crew of 380 to scatter the cremated remains of 62 people into the sea. Sea burials have been taking place in China since the 1990s. Most of these burials have used the services of conventional ferries and this is the first time that a customised ship made especially for sea burials has been launched.
“Guobin 9 sails longer than the previous ships did, so as to provide families and relatives more time to say goodbye to the deceased,” said Wang Dedong, head of Beijing Funeral Service Center.
The traditional practice in China is to bury the dead. But as this takes up considerable land, the government has been promoting cremations. The ashes of the dead are collected and than interred in a tomb. Due to an ageing society and rapid urbanisation, even this practice has been putting a strain on China’s land resources. In 2017, there were 9.86 million deaths with a crude death rate of 7.11 per thousand.
In 2016, there were at least 6.47 million burial plots in China of which 42.2 million were occupied, according to report published on China’s funeral industry by Ouzi, a data analysis firm. The report states that all the available plots may be occupied by mid-2022. Beijing has stated that the existing cemetery plots for graves in most provinces would be used up in 10 years.
Last month, the government had come out with a joint directive seeking promotion of smaller graves and eco-friendly alternatives, such as sea burials and scattering ashes over flowers. Beijing wants 50 per cent of funerals in China to be eco-friendly by 2020.
“The whole country should recognise the importance and urgency of eco-friendly burials in the face of the grim situation resulting from the huge population, limited land supplies, severe pollution and a deteriorating environment,” the directive said.
The concept of sea burials is recent in China and two of its leaders, Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping, had chosen to have their ashes scattered at sea. It was authorised as a form of burial in China in 1991 and so far, 40,000 people have opted for it. In Beijing, 3 per cent of funerals are at sea.
Provincial governments provide money to those who opt for sea burials. In Wenling, people over 70 who sign a contract for sea burial receive monthly remuneration based on age — from 100 yuan ($15.80) per month for those over 70, to 400 yuan for people over 100.