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China Bans Storing Cremated Remains in Empty 'Bone Ash Apartments'
The ban targets 'bone-ash apartments' to address scarce cemetery space and high funeral costs, with funerals costing nearly half the average annual salary, officials said.
- On Monday, China's State Council banned "the use of residential dwellings specifically for the interment of ashes," restricting human remains to designated areas such as public cemeteries.
- Families previously used "bone-ash apartments" to dodge funeral costs that reached nearly half of the average annual salary in 2020, according to British insurance firm SunLife's survey.
- These units are often identifiable by sealed-off windows or closed curtains, with residents reporting candlesticks arranged around a black box and portrait inside, typical arrangements for commemorating the dead.
- China's market watchdog announced new rules on Tuesday to tackle fraud and transparency issues in funeral pricing, aiming to "reduce the burden of funerals on the masses."
- The ban arrives days before the Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, when families traditionally visit gravesites to tidy them and make ritual offerings.
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34 Articles
34 Articles
China bans entombing cremated remains in empty apartments
BEIJING-- Chinese authorities have banned entombing cremated remains in empty apartments, a practice that had gained popularity as mourners took advantage of the subdued housing market to dodge rising funeral costs.
·Toronto, Canada
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In China, new funeral rules came into force on 30 March 2026, which prohibit the use of accommodation only to store the ashes of the dead.
·Riga, Latvia
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(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kwon Soo-hyun = China is... so-called 'columbariums' (骨灰房), where cremated remains are interred in inexpensive suburban apartments instead of bearing the cost of expensive cemeteries...
·Korea (the Republic of)
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources34
Leaning Left6Leaning Right5Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 27%
C 50%
R 23%
Factuality
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