Kunming Cemetery Posts Notices on Tombstones to Collect Management Fees, Sparking Debate in China

According to Chinese media reports, including Jimu News, a Chinese netizen in Kunming uploaded a short video on the 5th showing that when he visited the "Jinbaoshan Art Garden" cemetery in Kunming to pay respects to his ancestors, he was shocked to find an overdue notice posted on the tombstone.

According to the footage, the overdue notice stated, "Your relative's plot management fee is overdue, and your contact information has changed, making it impossible to contact you." It requested families to "promptly contact the cemetery to complete the renewal of management fees. If the management fee is not paid within 6 months, it will be handled according to Article 20 of the 'Yunnan Province Cemetery Management Regulations' regarding grave maintenance fees."

However, this overdue notice did not bear the official seal of the management unit, unlike many official announcements and documents in China.

The report pointed out that according to the "Yunnan Province Cemetery Management Regulations," management fees are to be paid by the grave lessee either in a lump sum or annually. If those who pay annually fail to pay for three consecutive years, and after the cemetery unit sends a letter or publishes an announcement, if the fees are still not paid within three months, the grave will be treated as an "ownerless grave."

According to reports, in response to public questioning about the method of "posting notices on tombstones to collect fees" from the deceased's families, cemetery staff stated that management fees are mainly used for landscaping, cleaning, and security, and can be paid either in a lump sum or in installments. If fees are overdue, the cemetery usually contacts the family by phone first, and "only if contact cannot be made will a notice be posted," and subsequent payment is acceptable.

Many Chinese netizens questioned that many young and middle-aged people are only children and unmarried, so the deceased may not have descendants, leading to the dilemma of no one paying cemetery management fees. Cemetery staff responded that they have not yet encountered such a situation.

Other netizens commented that the method of posting notices to collect fees is "too unethical," as the deceased should be respected, and posting notices "shames both the ancestors and their descendants"; some also questioned if there couldn't be a more appropriate way to collect fees; but some netizens also believed that the person who filmed the video also had a problem, as not paying overdue fees is also disrespectful to the ancestors. (Edited by Chiu Kuo-chiang/Chen Yen-chun) 1150406