Tree burials in Zhengzhou offer eco-friendly alternative

A public eco-friendly tree burial was held on Saturday in Zhengzhou, Henan province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A public eco-friendly tree burial was held on Saturday in Zhengzhou, Henan province, where 142 families placed degradable urns with the cremated remains of 184 deceased at a tree burial garden in a local cemetery.

"After natural degradation, they will merge with the earth and eventually return to nature," said Yao Yuan, deputy head of Zhengzhou's funeral services center.

"The grave-free burials help save land," he said, adding family members can also memorialize the deceased through an online WeChat mini program.

A public eco-friendly tree burial was held on Saturday in Zhengzhou, Henan province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

This marks the 16th public tree burial in Zhengzhou, which initiated the first session in 2008. The annual event usually takes place the Saturday before Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, which falls on April 5 this year.

In April 2020, local authorities in Zhengzhou issued measures to promote grave-free burials. After verification by the civil affairs department, the bereaved can get a subsidy of 1,000 yuan ($145) for each set of ashes.

A public eco-friendly tree burial was held on Saturday in Zhengzhou, Henan province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]