# Chinese Funerals



## Vince_UK (Dec 17, 2017)

I know maybe a morbid subject but at the same time I find it fascinating.
Walking home through my complex lastnight, I heard the wailing sounds of the Chinese flutes and fireworks and realised that the time of year has arrived here where many old people pass on during the cold weather.
It is a significant event and hugely expensive to hold a traditional Chinese funeral here and something you see rarely. Most traditional funerals take place in the countryside.
They still build paper effigies of things important in a persons life and burn them. The photos were taken 3 years ago from my apartment window before tthey spend millions renovating the whole complex. I have seen paper pc's, cars as well as animals and teddy bears.These are themsleves equisite and terribly costly.  Paper money also is burned.
They hire official traditional mourners in tradiional Chinese dress (han fu), and the wailing of pipes and gongs go on for 3 days.
These day most people are cremated as the land for burials is becoming rare and expensive.
They have developed many facilities for virtual rememberance for example.  Many old  people do not like this at all and have saved all their lives to be able to afford a funeral that is traditional and well presented.
There are no crematoria with most cremations taking place outside of the city in local hospitals.
The mourning colour is white as opposed to our black.
There is a traditional post funeral banquet paid by the family.
During the annual Qing Ming Festival (Tomb Sweeping), the whole family travel to the tomb or small plot of land where the ashes are buried to clean it and leave small paper gifts and food to the departed one.
Morbid perhaps but another aspect of everyday life in other countries we don't always think about or witness.


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## Wirrallass (Dec 17, 2017)

Vince_UK said:


> I know maybe a morbid subject but at the same time I find it fascinating.
> Walking home through my complex lastnight, I heard the wailing sounds of the Chinese flutes and fireworks and realised that the time of year has arrived here where many old people pass on during the cold weather.
> It is a significant event and hugely expensive to hold a traditional Chinese funeral here and something you see rarely. Most traditional funerals take place in the countryside.
> They still build paper effigies of things important in a persons life and burn them. The photos were taken 3 years ago from my apartment window before tthey spend millions renovating the whole complex. I have seen paper pc's, cars as well as animals and teddy bears.These are themsleves equisite and terribly costly.  Paper money also is burned.
> ...


Gee thanks Vince. That's really cheered me up just prior to Christmas


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## Vince_UK (Dec 17, 2017)

wirralass said:


> Gee thanks Vince. That's really cheered me up just prior to Christmas


Just for interest WL. Nothing personal I can assure you WL...


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## mikeyB (Dec 17, 2017)

Fascinating. Thanks, Vince. You learn something every day on this forum


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## Amigo (Dec 17, 2017)

Fascinating Vince and the Chinese people have so many traditional and interesting traditions. I was just thinking they’d never get permission to set a fire so close to residential property over here!


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## Vince_UK (Dec 17, 2017)

Amigo said:


> Fascinating Vince and the Chinese people have so many traditional and interesting traditions. I was just thinking they’d never get permission to set a fire so close to residential property over here!


They shouldn't be doing that here either Amigo but this is China and the Chinese are not noted for following rules.


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Dec 17, 2017)

Very interesting, I watched a documentary, some years ago, looking at funeral customs and rituals from various cultures, I find it fascinating, but then I'm a bit odd


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## Amigo (Dec 17, 2017)

Vince_UK said:


> They shouldn't be doing that here either Amigo but this is China and the Chinese are not noted for following rules.



Not like the Japanese Vince. When we were in Japan, we found the people to be incredibly compliant and respectful. It was a refreshing change to witness such civility but it may be different now and it’s always different in rural areas of course.


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## eggyg (Dec 17, 2017)

I am always fascinated by how different cultures react to death. I for one don’t want any fuss at all, I have told my family I want to give my body for medical research,  apparently that isn’t as easy as you think. So I said could I not go in the compost heap but that’s a no go as well. So a simple burial in a biodegradable coffin in a woodland cemetery is what I have ordered, I have it written in to my will that under no circumstances am I to be cremated.


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## Amigo (Dec 17, 2017)

eggyg said:


> I am always fascinated by how different cultures react to death. I for one don’t want any fuss at all, I have told my family I want to give my body for medical research,  apparently that isn’t as easy as you think. So I said could I not go in the compost heap but that’s a no go as well. So a simple burial in a biodegradable coffin in a woodland cemetery is what I have ordered, I have it written in to my will that under no circumstances am I to be cremated.



I’ve made it clear under no circumstances am I to be buried Eggy. Funny how different we all are.


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## mikeyB (Dec 17, 2017)

I don’t want to be burned either. Just a little headstone with “recycling” engraved on it. Carbon neutral, that is, like Eggy.


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## eggyg (Dec 17, 2017)

Amigo said:


> I’ve made it clear under no circumstances am I to be buried Eggy. Funny how different we all are.


It is. My mother died age 52, 27 years ago when I was only 30. It was my first funeral of a close family member. She was cremated, I just remember that feeling of horror when the coffin rolled behind the green velvet curtain into,I assume, the furnace and I thought what if she is still alive?  It has stayed with me to this day and I vowed there and then to be buried. My reasoning is if I was still alive I could bang on the coffin lid! Totally bonkers I know!


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## eggyg (Dec 17, 2017)

mikeyB said:


> I don’t want to be burned either. Just a little headstone with “recycling” engraved on it. Carbon neutral, that is, like Eggy.


Ha ha! Good idea Mike, I might copy that. “Here lies Eggyg, please put out for  the recycling every second Wednesday!”


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Dec 17, 2017)

Amigo said:


> I’ve made it clear under no circumstances am I to be buried Eggy. Funny how different we all are.




Same here!


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## mikeyB (Dec 17, 2017)

The good thing about cremation is that you destroy the evidence.


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Dec 17, 2017)

I know it sounds ridiculous but being buried alive is a fear of mine, at least cremation is quick (I hope!)


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## Vince_UK (Dec 17, 2017)

Amigo said:


> Not like the Japanese Vince. When we were in Japan, we found the people to be incredibly compliant and respectful. It was a refreshing change to witness such civility but it may be different now and it’s always different in rural areas of course.


Still the same in Japan WL. The difference between the 2 cultures is vast. Japanese respectful, polite, clean, courteous, postive, hard-working, not arrogant in anyway. Mainlanders here totally the opposite. That applies to just mainlanders. HK, Macau  totally different. Mainlanders not popular at all in Asia.


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## Vince_UK (Dec 17, 2017)

The most eleborate funeral I ever witnessed was on Bali.
That was something to behold. A Hindu one. Most of Balinese are in fact Hindu not Muslim as the rest of Indonesia.
Thai funeral rites are a little bizarre.
They keep the deceased in a temple "stored" for as long as the Family can afford to keep it there sometimes up to 1 year. The cremations then take place in open air, temple located ovens.
The ashes are then stored is very elborate urns, porcelain and even some are worn around peoples necks is small jewellery like pendants.
Totally by accidentI have a small collection of these small urns. The name is Benjarog and they are higly deorated in Gold and vivid colours. Beautiful.
I bought them thinking there were eleborate collectable ornaments was only after I had them sent back to the UK i was told by a Thai friend what in fact there were. Actually I used to have shares in a jewellery and collectables business at one time and we were selling these urn as ornaments along side the Crown Derby and Lladro lol. Many people in the Newcastle area have these sat on their sideboards without realising what they are.
Live and Learn.


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## Vince_UK (Dec 18, 2017)

Lucy Honeychurch said:


> Very interesting, I watched a documentary, some years ago, looking at funeral customs and rituals from various cultures, I find it fascinating, but then I'm a bit odd


I find it fascinating also Lucy, don't think it is weird. It is part of life and we shhouldn't be shy about it.
Told my Son to put me in a black bag and out with the recycling on a Tuesday also.


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## Vince_UK (Dec 18, 2017)

Just  for interest.
https://www.shine.cn/news/metro/1712177925/


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## Vince_UK (Mar 6, 2018)

Passed this on my way home tonight from the shops.
Preparing for a big one and an expensive one.


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## Davein (Mar 6, 2018)

Are the wheelie bins connected to the funeral Vince


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## Davein (Mar 6, 2018)

For the past few years when I get the local paper (now online) the page I first turn to is the Births, Deaths and Marriage pages. Just to see if any of my peers have copped it. If there is a surname I'm familiar with I always nose to see if they may be related to people I know.
I wonder if anyone else does this. Morbid curiosity or an age thing, I guess. When there is someone who has reached a very good age, say ninety eight, I imagine what a good life they must have had. Not so for the occasional youngster that appears. You can usually guess what some have died of by looking at the charities any donations go to.


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## Vince_UK (Mar 6, 2018)

Davein said:


> For the past few years when I get the local paper (now online) the page I first turn to is the Births, Deaths and Marriage pages. Just to see if any of my peers have copped it. If there is a surname I'm familiar with I always nose to see if they may be related to people I know.
> I wonder if anyone else does this. Morbid curiosity or an age thing, I guess. When there is someone who has reached a very good age, say ninety eight, I imagine what a good life they must have had. Not so for the occasional youngster that appears. You can usually guess what some have died of by looking at the charities any donations go to.


Life is to short and vibrant to worry about that. My Mother and my Grandmother both has that nightly routine for as long as I could remember.
You will just depress yourself @Davein


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## Davein (Mar 6, 2018)

Vince_UK said:


> Life is to short and vibrant to worry about that. My Mother and my Grandmother both has that nightly routine for as long as I could remember.
> You will just depress yourself @Davein


Quite the opposite Vince, It cheers me to know my name isn't in there Yet!


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## Vince_UK (Mar 6, 2018)

Davein said:


> Quite the opposite Vince, It cheers me to know my name isn't in there Yet!


 I had to laugh at that lol totally different perspective BUT would you know if it was there?


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## Davein (Mar 6, 2018)

Vince_UK said:


> I had to laugh at that lol totally different perspective BUT would you know if it was there?


Well Vince I apparently have the most common name in the country, so it has appeared on at least one occasion. 
But our family had a big bust up about 30 years ago and I have had no contact with my mum in that time, and whilst I know she moved away from the area, I do look for her name in case her obituary is ever put in that paper by whoever organises her funeral.


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## Vince_UK (Mar 6, 2018)

More common than Smith?


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## Davein (Mar 6, 2018)

No not more common  exactly the same


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## Vince_UK (Mar 6, 2018)

Snap haha


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## Davein (Mar 6, 2018)

Vince_UK said:


> Snap haha


We are everywhere Common as muck!


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## Vince_UK (Mar 6, 2018)

Never common dear boy never common but everywhere lol and possibly all related in the far flung distant past.
And my lt is increasing by the second just about


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## Davein (Mar 6, 2018)

Vince_UK said:


> Never common dear boy never common but everywhere lol and possibly all related in the far flung distant past.
> And my lt is increasing by the second just about


I did some work many years ago for a welsh lady called Tammy Jones. She had just won Opportunity Knocks and had a record in the top twenty. Anyway I kept in touch with her even when she moved to New Zealand. I was due to meet her a while after when she came back to Wales to live. An event was organised at the Cardiff Stadium for a Guinness World record attempt for the most Joneses under one roof. (Don't think Tom took part). Tammy song her hit song and others performed. I think Gethin(?) Jones compared and they ended up getting in the book of records.
But to cut a long story short, I tried to offer them a challenge to get more Smiths under one roof than Joneses but was turned down presumably because they knew we would way outnumber them


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## Vince_UK (Mar 6, 2018)

Davein said:


> I did some work many years ago for a welsh lady called Tammy Jones. She had just won Opportunity Knocks and had a record in the top twenty. Anyway I kept in touch with her even when she moved to New Zealand. I was due to meet her a while after when she came back to Wales to live. An event was organised at the Cardiff Stadium for a Guinness World record attempt for the most Joneses under one roof. (Don't think Tom took part). Tammy song her hit song and others performed. I think Gethin(?) Jones compared and they ended up getting in the book of records.
> But to cut a long story short, I tried to offer them a challenge to get more Smiths under one roof than Joneses but was turned down presumably because they knew we would way outnumber them


 We would for sure.


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