China funeral industry sees influx of young people with new ideas aimed at modernising sector steeped in tradition
- Young entrepreneurs aim to breathe new life into business of dying
- See way forward with trendy shrouds, modern caskets, live-stream sales
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Young people in China are flocking to work in the country’s funeral industry and reshape it with new ideas.
The surge in interest has created a lively discussion on mainland social media after the news outlet, JNews, reported that young people increasingly see the business of laying people to rest as ripe for innovation.
Lin Han, who worked in public relations for three years, launched an online shop with a focus on funeral products in 2023.
Every time his mother asked him to buy funerial items, such as shrouds and containers for ashes he was disappointed with what was available.
“Everything I saw in shops looked outdated and dull. I really did not want my beloved family members to be laid to rest inside them,” Lin said.
“Younger generations want refined funerals for their relatives. So I thought, why don’t I enter the market?”
Before launching his shop , Lin travelled to the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu in eastern China to visit suppliers and factories.
His products target young people who seem to like their attractive design, but will only buy at the time when they are required.
“I’m sure the market will bloom sooner or later,” said Lin.
Another young entrepreneur, Weili, taught herself how to design shroud clothing, and has been selling them via live-streams for about two years. She said her customers prefer unconventional designs.
She said nice clothes are worn on important occasions such as birthdays and weddings, so why not funerals?
“I feel like I’m doing something meaningful by helping people bid a dignified farewell to this world,” Weili said.
Li Jie, 22, from Sichuan province in southwestern China, has provided tomb-sweeping services since 2020.
She says demand has increased because fewer people visit graves on Tomb Sweeping Day or the anniversary of a loved one’s death, but still want to show respect.
Her services include cleaning tombstones, arranging sacrificial offerings, and reading letters and the fees range from 100 to 300 yuan (US$14 to US$42).
The story has sparked much discussion on mainland social media.
“Times are changing, so people’s needs are changing,” one online observer said.
“If the shroud clothes become fashionable, will they start to look like clothes we wear when we’re alive?”asked another.
A report by the mainland market research firm Insight and Info revealed that in 2022, revealed that the proceeds from the sale of containers for ashes reached 9.8 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion) and continues to grow.
According to the China Funeral Association, the amount spent on funerals by people on the mainland is expected to reach one trillion yuan (US$138 billion) by the end of 2023.
