Chinese traditionally believe that souls may rest in peace only if their bodies properly buried underground in coffins. But today, many are becoming open to other options, like scattering ashes in the sea or burying them under the trees. [Photo/icpress]

The Changing Culture

Mini-burials

The idea of a partial sea burial, in which most of a person's ashes are sprinkled at sea while a small amount is put in a tiny box and buried in a cemetery, was introduced in Shanghai.

Sea Burials

More Beijingers are being buried at sea, helping to save space and the environment, according to the capital's funeral authorities.

Green burial

Despite the Beijing municipal government's two decades-old push to encourage "green interments", including so-called tree burials, only 2 percent of families choose those methods of burial. In Tianjin, the public opinion is also divided.

Online

Chinese people have started experimenting with a convenient, low-cost and low-carbon way to pay respects to the dead by just clicking a mouse.