GANGS are thought to be kidnapping and murdering elderly people, then selling the corpses for cremation to superstitious families who do not want their own dead loved ones incinerated.
The bereaved in southern China are buying substitute bodies for the cremation and secretly burying their dead relatives, according to press reports.
Cremation is promoted as hygienic and space-saving, and in some regions it is obligatory.
However, many believe if a body is burnt the spirit will be angry and misfortune will befall descendants. If it has the proper rites the spirit is content in the next world and protects relatives.
Although nationwide only one per cent of the population is cremated, in the county of Jieyang in Canton, where it is mandatory, the figure is 100 per cent.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Just when you thought China could not get any weirder
Just when you thought China could not get any weirder; there is a news report of elderly people being murdered so their corpses can be sold to families for a substitute cremation. Some areas of China have 100% cremation rules, but many people have religious or traditional objections. Some are solving this quandary by buying a substitute corpse for cremation and, then, secretly burying their dead. Sunday Express is reporting:
Religion makes people crazy enough without government getting involved.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder though, with that many people, how long before they run out of room to bury people? I guess it isn't a problem if you don't mind building over the graves or having the occasional corpse pop up when you try to install some sprinklers or something.