Burying tradition

In the 1950s, Chinese communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong announced that deceased people should not be buried the traditional way but cremated in order to save precious arable land and improve public sanitation. And although Mao himself did not stick to this plan, he did manage to save some farmland as his corpse was embalmed and placed in a tomb on Tiananmen Square, which had been paved over long before his death. To this day, his body is on display in a specially built crystal coffin, housed in a mausoleum (top image).

The burial issue addressed by Mao six decades ago is now a focus of debate once again. Whoever casts a glance outside when taking a train through the Chinese countryside will notice graves dotting the fields, wedged in between rows of vegetables. This is the result of both limited space and the high costs associated with cemetery burial.

Confiscating coffins

The situation has prompted authorities of the Anhui province in eastern China to ban human burials. Apart from saving space, the regulation, which has been in place since June 1, has another aim: preventing forest fires caused by people burning paper money and clothing in honor of dead relatives during the Chinese New Year celebrations. That was the case earlier this year and it most likely angered the authorities, who came up with the new regulations in March. Aside from passing the law, they sent out agents into the countryside whose job was to knock on doors and pressure residents to decide in favor of cremation. This, in turn, means that some people had to give up the coffins they already purchased for their future burial.

Those who own coffins have been given a choice by the authorities: either they willingly give it up, or it will be destroyed - and then they may use it as firewood. In some cases, 1,000 yuan (120 euros or $160) has been offered as compensation to those who surrender their coffin - which often costs more than an annual salary of 50,000 yuan. So far, 46,000 coffins have been confiscated in this fashion and destroyed.

Possible link with suicides

The new regulations have also allegedly claimed lives. Various elderly people reportedly committed suicide in order to be buried in their hard-earned coffins before the June 1 deadline. A few dozen are rumored to have ended their lives in this way. The local authorities dispute the connection between the deaths and the new laws, however, stating that those with enough determination can still be buried: all they need to do is make sure the coffin is buried more deeply underground so that no farming space is lost.

Many people in the region are frustrated with the authorities' approach. Unexpected and rigorous government intervention in various matters is not uncommon in China. But increasingly, the people are not letting themselves be told what to do - especially when an issue catches international attention. At stake in this case are centuries-old traditions that were banned overnight.

The arbitrary measures taken by the local powers are even causing some concern in federal government circles. Some have pointed out that China will not starve due to a few countryside graves. The country's agricultural sector faces several more serious problems, such as water shortages.

DW correspondent Frank Sieren is considered a leading German expert on China. He has lived in Beijing for the past 20 years.