You wouldn't be able to bury them all in cemeteries. There'd be no room for the living after awhile.
Crooks get blame for funeral cost
By Zhao Yinan (China Daily)BEIJING - Most funeral homes in China are operating at a loss, despite annual income of more than 200 billion yuan ($30.5 billion), because illegal funeral agencies have expanded, an official said on Saturday.
Zhu Yong, deputy director of China National Committee on Aging and chief editor of the annual Report on Funerals, said a cremation and funeral can cost a substantial sum, partly because illegal funeral agencies charge high prices to the surviving families, who know little about such services.
Zhu charged that these agencies also collaborate with mortuaries to ensure more bodies are sent to them.
Zhu made the remarks on the sidelines of a book release, which was held by the Ministry of Civil Affairs three days ahead of the traditional Tomb-Sweeping Day, when more than 400 million people will visit the tombs of their deceased relatives and pay their respects.
The Report on Funerals of China (2011) said 9 million people die in China each year and for each it costs on average about 22,000 yuan for funeral, cremation, burial of the ashes and the burial plot.
A large part of the funeral expense goes to illegal agencies, not public funeral homes, Zhu said. "An all-inclusive cremation service through a public service provider costs only about 1,200 yuan.
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