CHINA - The Chinese government is set to ban people from storing the cremated remains of their loved ones in empty apartments instead of paying for expensive cemetery plots.
The new law will put an end to "bone ash apartments", which have risen in popularity as spaces in cemeteries remain scarce. Low property prices in the country mean that for many, it is more affordable to entomb the ashes of relatives in an empty apartment than pay for funeral costs. The legislation prohibits the use of residential properties "specifically for the placement of ashes" as well as the burial of remains outside of cemeteries and areas where ecological burial is legal. Bone ash apartments are empty properties which are turned into ritual halls by family members of the deceased. Their loved one's ashes are placed inside and the space turned into an ancestral shrine. The apartments are often identifiable by closed curtains or sealed-off windows, Chinese media has reported. Mourners are making the most of low property prices, which have fallen in China in recent years and were down 40% in 2025 from 2021. Meanwhile, cemetery spaces are limited and only come with a temporary lease which must be renewed every 20 years. (BBC)
