On 11 year 0 and 0 day, the well-known writer Qiong Yao entered the soil in the form of a flower burial, no tombstone, no tomb, the ashes returned to nature, and became a flower in the next life.

今年3月，知名女星大S以塔葬方式长眠台北金宝山，同样不立碑、无墓地，只在骨灰塔（或称灵骨塔）中购买一个存放骨灰盒的位置，便于家属吊唁。

Going back, on 8 year 0 and 0 month, Lin Huiyin's funeral of his descendant Liang Congjie was held in Changping, Beijing. According to his last wishes, his ashes were scattered around a cypress tree, and he went to the monument and grave, ending his life with a solemn and simple tree burial.

In the 50th century, the number of people who chose to "de-cemetery" funerals in China increased significantly. The data shows that the proportion of land-saving ecological burials in Beijing has reached 0% in 0 years. Among people with a certain degree of cultural influence, the scope of this new trend of funeral even exceeds their own class, and has a far-reaching impact on the entire society.

With the continuous improvement of people's cognitive level in modern society, the concepts of "entering the earth for peace", "intact remains" and "thick burial" are no longer monolithic, but there is a space for change. A new type of funeral culture that is more environmentally friendly, economical and worry-free is quietly emerging around the world.

01

How many imaginations do you have about the way to dispose of the body?

Can you imagine that after a person's death, the ashes are mixed into a fireworks tube and bloom in the night sky like brilliant stars, becoming part of the fireworks display?

Or be sent into space, as close as orbiting the Earth, as far as an unknown destination beyond the solar system, mixed with stardust, and sailing into eternity;

Or take some of the ashes and make them into jewelry, artificial coral or paperweights, and place them on the family's desk to make a brooch that the family can carry......

These new forms of burial, which sound like some kind of "black humor," are becoming a reality.

In 2023, there was a star funeral service in China, and the deceased relatives would be reminded by mobile phones when they were about to reach the top of their heads.

At present, around the world, the new funeral methods that are allowed are rapidly extending in two dimensions: one is to generate "useful commemorative objects"; The second refers to green, environmental protection and beauty.

In the first dimension, all kinds of souvenirs containing the ashes of the deceased are the mainstream of the current funeral market. In the research of Shannon Lee Dowdy, Ph.D. of the University of Chicago, the United States is quietly experiencing a revolution in the concept of life and death, and in order to pursue differences and highlight differences, many ashes meumento have appeared.

Human ashes not only have different textures, some even have different colors, some are black, gray, brown, pink, and even blue. The difference in "raw materials" makes each person's ashes unique in the world, representing the different personalities of the deceased.

Someone will make the ashes into vinyl. At present, there have been a few qualified production companies in China, which can press the ashes of the deceased or pets into the record, and at the same time record the real voice of the deceased in the record, so as to achieve "eternal life" in the form of playable audio and accompany relatives.

It is also common to make wearable jewelry from ashes. The American company "Memory Glass" has been providing customized glass products containing the ashes of the deceased since 50, on its official website, there are currently a total of 0 colors and wave or spiral textures to choose from, a small part of the ashes of the deceased are packed into hot glass, and an additional $0 can also provide laser engraving fingerprint services.

Similar products include the "Gem of Life", which is used to synthesize man-made diamonds by extracting carbon from human remains.

This process of "ashes to diamonds" requires only about 200 ml of ashes to produce artificial gemstones with a certificate of security and a number entered into the global diamond registry. It can be called the man-made rebirth of Nirvana, the smelting of destruction and creation.

In addition, the mixing of ashes with oil paint to paint portraits of the deceased is also popular.

Dusty, who lives in Tennessee, USA, is a professional painter specializing in the portrait of ashes. In his opinion, "the ashes have different colors and textures, and the visual effect of the painting is enhanced...... Close to sculpture. ”

A work of ashes portrait by British columbarium artist Kieran Crowder

Different from the unique ashes products, the second dimension hopes to cater to the current hot ecological protection concept, also known as "green burial" or "ecological burial". In addition to the flower burials and tree burials that we are more familiar with, mushroom shrouds and alkaline hydrolysis methods have also appeared in the West.

Mushroom shroud, also known as "infinite shroud", contains fungal spores that not only break down the body, but also remove and neutralize toxins from the body. The ancients pursued the incorruptibility of corpses, but the remains after embalming were often filled with toxic substances, which was very harmful to the environment.

Lee Jie-rim, a Korean-American artist who is engaged in the production of mushroom shrouds.

Similarly, compared with traditional cremation, which consumes a lot of energy, the "alkaline hydrolysis method" (or hydration method) uses a heated alkaline solution to dissolve the soft tissues of the human body, which does not consume fossil fuels or emit soot.

Schematic diagram of the principle of hydration method

Composting remains is also a new and environmentally friendly disposal method. In just one month, the Washington-based company Reorg has mastered a technology to accelerate the transformation of human remains into soil, and in just one month, the bereaved family receives soil that looks "just like the topsoil you buy at the nursery" and can be used directly for tree planting, although it is not currently allowed to be used to fertilize food.

一具遗体通过堆肥处理变成土壤，再寄给亲人，这个过程所花费的价格是7000美元（约5万人民币）。创始人认为，当亲人收到这些土壤会得到一种安慰，“当你想念这个人，会想到他的身体变成了泥土，在创造着新的生命”。

The first company in the U.S. to legally compost for human beings "restructured" its official website

In addition to ecological burials, which convert ashes into plant fertilizer, a new form called "goodland forest" has emerged in the United States in recent years. Since the ashes could not be dumped at any desired location, the company bought a forest and obtained the right to scatter the ashes in the area through the government, which they sold to customers.

The price depends not only on the age and species of the memorial tree, but also on whether you want a "studio" or a "shared room". In order to reduce the harm to the environment, companies that provide such services hire forestry experts to place environmentally friendly additives in the mixture of ashes and soil.

Behind the emergence of many new funeral methods, a new type of funeral industry with traditional concepts and personality has begun to take shape. Business innovation and commodity production around "death" have also become new hot spots.

02

The world's most lucrative business is in the cemetery

Life is in the world, red and white.

Among them, funeral is one of the most important rituals in human social life, and it is also the most expensive. Every change in the funeral industry has created huge business opportunities for relevant practitioners.

Modern cremation as we know it first appeared in Europe. At the end of the 19th century, with the progress of science and technology and the improvement of public health awareness, modern cremation began to be promoted in Europe as a specialized funeral method. Its original purpose was to address the stinking and overcrowded cemeteries caused by urbanization after the Industrial Revolution.

At the same time, the cemetery revolution was rapidly unfolding. Old cemeteries overcrowded with "people" were abandoned, and public cemeteries established by the government or private individuals began to appear on the outskirts of the city. For the sake of aesthetics and efficiency, modern grid cemeteries have become mainstream.

With the advent of the funeral revolution, funerals began to have special ceremonial places and professional titles. Professional terms such as funeral director, funeral home, embalming of remains, mortuary, and dry distillation furnace (cremation furnace) began to appear, and the chain of interests related to this was gradually established.

In China, most funerals are concentrated in funeral homes. And the funeral home's one-stop charging service begins from the moment the deceased dies.

Taking the service fee standard publicized by a city funeral home as an example, the cost of a standardized cremation includes several categories: body transportation, body cremation, body storage and ashes storage.

Source: "Funeral Home Service Charging Standards in a City"

Underneath the big category, there are also sub-categories. The two main ceremonies undertaken by the funeral home, the "memorial service" and the "cremation ceremony", will also generate charging items such as disposable trays, shrouds, and farewell halls.

The source network shows a breakdown of a real funeral expense

总体算下来，从遗体放入灵车驶向殡仪馆开始，一直到火化完成取走骨灰盒，仅在殡仪馆的单次费用结算就在均价五千元以上。前提是所用骨灰盒已经单独购买，选择的也是普通档次寿衣，且不需要乐队、守灵、诵经等额外项目。

骨灰盒显然是火葬中的大头支出。一般来说，普通骨灰盒价格在几百到几千元不等，这取决于所用材质和制作工艺。高档骨灰盒花费可能上万，甚至超过十万。

The price of the urn sold by a city funeral home is publicized

When the body leaves the funeral home, it is found in another important place of modern cremation - the public cemetery. In recent years, the price of cemeteries has risen, and the average price per square meter of some cemeteries has exceeded the price of the house before death.

Source: The purchase cost of a double tomb in a city shared by a netizen

在某网友提供的真实案例中，其家庭所购买的不到1平米的双人墓穴，售价高达近12万，再加上一次性缴清的20年墓位管理费（约五千元），以及刻字、瓷像、石狮等墓碑定制服务，单次在墓地的丧葬花费将近14万。然而，城市陵园墓位的使用期限仅为20年。如果到期后不续费，就要按无主墓迁出。

Similarly, traditional burials that still exist in rural areas promote thick burials, and there is a set of conventional standards for the funeral host, local white customs, flowing water seats, gift money, and return gifts. A funeral becomes a heavy financial burden for the bereaved family.

网友分享的农村白事单次开支，在不需要购买墓地的前提下，总支出也来到了十万的区间  

However, the current emergence of new types of funerals such as flower burials and tree burials, although the "acupuncture point fee" that needs to be paid at one time does not seem to be low, but the biggest advantage of this kind of ecological burial is that there is no tomb repair, no monument, and no subsequent cemetery management fees and worship fees are exempted, so the overall cost is still low compared with burial and cremation.

Netizen "Li Zhiting" shared the standard of ecological burial in Shanghai

Especially for only children, this new type of ecological funeral not only reduces the economic pressure when doing white things, but also saves the cost of subsequent cemetery maintenance. "If you don't have children, no one will come to worship me in the future, so it's better not to ask for a cemetery now."

03

Behind the ritual change,

Violent clash of old and new funeral concepts

"Pursuing the distance cautiously and entering the soil for peace" has always been a traditional Chinese funeral concept. At present, the practical use of new funeral methods in China is mainly concentrated in the younger groups and the social elite cultural class.

Behind the ritual change, we can also see a change in society's overall conception of death.

Source: Movie "Broken Hell"

Dr. Shannon Lee Dowdy, in his book I Want to Be Buried, makes the point that "a new type of funeral custom is essentially a ritual, and the formation of a ritual does not necessarily need to be passed down slowly from generation to generation, but can be 'invented' during major events, or with the active promotion of artists, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, and politicians." ”

It was because someone with social influence did it at a certain time and place that more followers gradually emerged, turning an unfamiliar new ritual into a new creation that could stand alongside the traditional funeral.

Netizens "rebooted" the views shared on a certain platform

However, while the funeral ritual revolution is burning like a spark, the old and new ideas are also fiercely clashing.

For the older generation who hold the traditional concept of funeral, all burials that go to monuments, tombs, and even destroy the integrity of the body are absolutely unacceptable.

After all, in the traditional Chinese culture that has been passed down for thousands of years, the punishments of five horses, crushing bones and scattering ashes, and cutting off thousands of knives without a whole corpse belong to the ranks of capital punishment. This makes it natural for the Chinese people to believe that the body must be kept intact and kept underground after death. Otherwise, there will be "no blind eyes and no peace." This notion is deeply ingrained in Chinese society and is difficult to shake.

Regardless of the new funeral method of de-cemeteryization, cremation, which has become the mainstream to this day, is unacceptable to many people. "Cremation means that this person is completely gone, and I can't stand it." Even among the younger generation, there is still talk of opposition to cremation.

In addition, the older generation is also worried that the way of not setting up cemeteries and tombstones will leave future generations with nowhere to go to pay their respects.

At the beginning of the year, in the choice of the funeral method of Da S, there was a change from tree burial to tower burial. Originally, in accordance with Da S's last wishes, the family has begun to arrange environmentally friendly tree burials. However, his husband Gu Junye hoped that his wife would have a physical resting place so that his family and friends could have a place to mourn and worship, so after deliberation, he canceled the tree burial and put the ashes into the spirit bone tower.

The concerns of the older generation are understandable. For young people, the loss of adjustment after the death of a loved one is a long and frequent event, and a cemetery with a single fixed location becomes a limitation of memorial. People who can't fill their grief begin to bypass traditional funerals and create new funeral rites based on their true feelings.

The literati of the Ming Dynasty Gui Youguang wrote in "Xiang Zhi Xuan Zhi": "There is a loquat tree in the court, and the hand planted by my wife in the year of her death is also like a pavilion now." "Though a man dies, the tree still lives, and I see the tree as a man.

At present, it is a niche brand that can undertake the production of ashes pendants in China

Secondly, with the improvement of people's education level and the liberation of the concept of life and death, our attitude towards the body has also changed. In some people's view, the self does not need a full body to be represented. Even a body pellet as small as a speck of dust or a teaspoon of ashes contains the essence of a person.

They are no longer obsessed with "putting the whole corpse into the earth for peace", but can accept the return of the body to nature in another form, "collecting the beautiful bones in the bag, and covering the wind in the pure land". This group accepts that the remains are incomplete or even completely disappearing.

Movie "Broken Hell"

When one tradition declines, another rises. But the essence of the funeral ritual has not changed, it still guides the living to embrace the reality of death, heal the pain in their hearts, and gain the strength to continue walking.

What do people do with the remains? What kind of funeral do people want to design to say goodbye to the world? The answers to these questions are not only about the end of life, but also about how the relationship between the living and the dead will transform and continue. When we choose a funeral method, maybe it's just saying that we still remember, and we don't want to forget.

Source/Ten Point Portraits