Since March 31, China has banned so-called “ash apartments” — special high-rise buildings that provide storage space for cremated remains. They have become popular amid urbanization and overcrowded cemeteries.
This is reported by The Guardian.
The law also prohibits the construction of tombs outside public cemeteries. It took effect on March 31, shortly before the traditional Chinese festival of Qingming, when people clean the graves or tombs of their ancestors and make ritual offerings.
The reason for the ban was the practice of Guhui fang, which was gaining popularity due to overcrowding in cemeteries. Chinese people are buying apartments en masse specifically to store the ashes of their loved ones, turning their homes into sanctuaries with candles, red lights, and urns.
The practice has become popular because it is cheaper and easier than finding a place for a traditional burial. In 2020 alone, a survey found that funeral costs in China ranked second in the world after Japan.
At the same time, real estate prices fell by 40% from 2021 to 2025. In addition, a plot in a cemetery can only be rented for 20 years, while real estate can be rented for 70.
China also has one of the fastest-aging populations in the world. In 2025, the country will record 11.3 million deaths, 2.5 million more than in 2015 (9.8 million) and significantly higher than the number of births in the same year (7.9 million).
With the number of burials increasing and land shortages increasing, governments in major cities such as Shanghai are providing subsidies to those who choose “environmentally friendly burial methods”, including “deep burial or sea burial”. In 2025, the number of sea burials in Shanghai reached a record high, exceeding 10 000 for the first time.
Author: Veronika Dovhanyuk
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