Funeral homes in China’s major cities are charging exorbitant fees for services their clients don’t know about, prompting some in Beijing to expose this “unscrupulous” practice to the media.
A Beijing resident surnamed Deng (pseudonym) told Chinese state media that his wife passed away in mid-February. Her body was kept in the mortuary of the Third Hospital of Peking University for two and half days before the cremation. Deng and his family were shocked when they received the bill from the hospital.
The person in charge of the mortuary explained to Deng that he was being billed for 28 various service fees, including 5,990 yuan (about $920) for bathing and spa services, 6,800 yuan (about $1,050) for the burial garment, 2,980 yuan (about $460) for urns, up to 10,720 yuan ($1,650) for five flower-related services, plus a long list of other miscellaneous expenses.
Some service fees were vaguely defined. For example, there was a service called “golden avenue for the soul to rise” that cost 1,500 yuan (about $230); another was “back pad” for 600 yuan (about $90); and “miscellaneous ceremonial services” for 3,990 yuan (about $610).
Deng told the media he was dumbfounded by the “meal supply” fee of 600 yuan (about $90). “Why would the deceased still need meals?” various state media quoted him.
Deng had to foot the bill, totaling nearly 40,000 yuan (about $6,150), roughly his wife’s annual income when she was alive.
Another Beijing resident surnamed Zheng (pseudonym) recently encountered a similar situation.
Zheng’s mother-in-law passed away at the end of March, and her body was also stored in the mortuary of the Third Hospital of Peking University. When Zheng got the bill, she was surprised that the total amount was nearly 20,000 yuan (about $3,080).
For example, one of the services listed on the bill, called “gratitude and filial piety,” cost 5,990 yuan (about $920). Zheng was billed 1,200 yuan (about $185) for a service that involved moving her mother-in-law’s body out of the mortuary and transporting her on a golden carpet, which was rolled out by the staff as part of a “grand ceremony.” There was a fee of 800 yuan (about $120) for a service called “flowers leading the way.” Zheng also was charged 3,000 yuan (about $460) for “comprehensive services.”
Both Deng and Zheng claimed that the funeral service company never discussed nor informed them of these charges beforehand.
Zheng said her family members are part of the working class and called the mortuary’s practice “unscrupulous.”
“Even for high-income families, this cost is ridiculous,” she told the media, adding that ordinary people can’t afford to die.
Beijing News Radio contacted the hospital and mortuary. A hospital staff member said that the hospital’s morgue was contracted out to a third party, and the funeral company became the hospital’s business partner through a formal bidding process. The funeral fees were based on the guidelines of the Civil Affairs Bureau Funeral Management Regulations.
However, Beijing Civil Affairs Bureau said the hospital directly manages the mortuary, and the bureau is indirectly responsible for how business entities subcontract to other companies or individuals. Among the various fees, the bureau only included a corpse storage fee in its pricing regulation, which is 30 yuan (about $4.60) per day. All the other items are priced based on market demand and supply.
Under public pressure, the Third Hospital of Peking University issued a statement in which it said it would “pay attention to, investigate, and reflect on the matter.”
Shortly after the Beijing News Radio program, many Beijing residents came forward to share their stories.
A woman surnamed Deng said a mortuary charged more than 45,500 yuan (about $7,000) for funeral services at a local hospital. In her estimation, it was twice the price of the going rate.
Another Beijing resident, surnamed Chen (pseudonym), told The Epoch Times that according to Chinese tradition, people must show their respect to the deceased. Nowadays, funeral services take advantage of this tradition and provide over-the-top services without first discussing them with clients. In the end, the family of the deceased are being overcharged, but they feel too embarrassed to argue with the funeral home because of this tradition, she said.
But according to Chen, the cost of funeral services is just a tiny fraction compared to the price of a cemetery plot.
Chen said her older sister passed away last year. Because her family couldn’t afford a cemetery plot in Beijing, they wanted to bury her in their hometown outside of the capital city. In the end, Chen helped them out financially and purchased the smallest plot available in Beijing. It only measured around 2 x 3 feet, and she bought it when the cemetery offered discount prices. Still, the plot cost 40,000 yuan (about $6,450).
Chen recalled that one could purchase a large cemetery plot in Beijing for the same amount about seven years ago.
Currently, the price per square foot for a cemetery plot in major Chinese cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, is several times that of an apartment. It prompted some investors to switch from speculating in real estate to cemetery plots, referring to it as an investment in “grave real estate.”
