Beijing doubles reimbursement for sea burials

BEIJING - Authorities in charge of Beijing funerals have doubled the grant for sea burials from 2,000 yuan (320 US dollars) to 4,000 yuan, according to a Thursday report in The Beijing News.

Chinese tradition holds that the dead should be buried in the earth beside their ancestors, and people visit family tombs on Tomb Sweeping Day, which falls on April 5 this year.

A shortage of arable land and other factors led the government to promote more eco-friendly burials.

The new policy will allow up to six family members to participate the ceremony at sea for free. Previously, only two were allowed.

People's perceptions are gradually changing. When sea burial was initiated in the 1990s, few were willing to let go the remains of their dead, but there were more than 1,200 such funerals in 2014, according to a report in The Beijing Evening News. It is estimated that more than 11,000 funerals of Beijingers were held at sea in the last 20 years.