Burials at sea

Chen Qi has run one of China's biggest sea burial service centers in Dalian, Liaoning province, for 23 years, but he never kept a count of the number of people whose ashes have been spread on the water from his four boats. Last year alone, the figure was more than 7,000. He said there are mainly three types of people who choose sea burials. Some have special feelings about the sea, while others cannot be buried in family graves because of local customs or traditions, especially in cases of suicide or accidental death. Finally, there are those who cannot afford a traditional land burial.