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Chinese turn to cremation from traditional burial

BEIJING: One in three Chinese who died in 1995 were cremated, following a 40-year drive by the Communist Party to scrap burials and preserve precious land, the official Xinhua news agency said late on Friday.

"Cremation, as a new scientific, hygienic and economical way of funeral ceremonies...has started to be accepted by society as a whole," Xinhua quoted Chinese Minister of Civil Affairs Doje Cering as saying.

With the exception of some ethnic minorities, burial has been practiced in China for thousands of years because Chinese believe they need their bodies to remain intact for the afterlife.

But in 1995, more than 2.62 million people, or 34 percent of those who died, were "sent to heaven through crematoriums", Xinhua said, citing ministry of civil affairs statistics.

From 1978 to 1995, the cremation of 30 million people saved million of hectares of land, tonnes of wood and billions of yuan in funeral expenses, Xinhua said.

"The out-dated, expensive and superstitious practices are being taken over by civilised and frugal funerals," the minister was quoted as saying.

In 1956, 151 top Chinese leaders signed a proposal promoting cremation and announced that when they died, they would all be cremated.

The exception is chairman Mao Zedong, whose embalmed body lies in state in a Stalinist-style mausoleum in the heart of Beijing.-Reuter