Pre-arranged funerals are becoming more common
There is a noticeable rise in the acceptance of pre-planned funeral arrangement contracts in China.
With over 10,000 pre-planned funeral arrangement contracts signed last year compared with a year earlier, Fu Shou Yuan International Group, China's largest cemetery and funeral service provider, said on Friday that it had observed a nearly 20 percent increase in these arrangements.
"An increasing number of Chinese people are thinking about planning the last chapter of their lives, and the service is not only purchased by elderly citizens who seek proper arrangement of their after-life affairs, but also government authorities and senior service agencies," said Zhao Yu, vice president of the company.
As per the group that started the service back in 2015, people are becoming more comfortable talking about death, and it is no longer considered a taboo subject. Many seniors find solace in the service in the event of an unexpected death.
A screenshot of the film "Comfort"
The statistic was revealed recently when the group's microfilm "Comfort" won first place at the Asia Micro Film Art Festival.
The film details the story of a man nearing the end of his life and has an in-depth conversation about his life with loved ones.
The film festival received 2,874 works, with 848 films winning honors. The 537 works submitted in the civil affairs category covered a wide range of issues, including senior care, charity, marriage, social aid, and burial and interment.
"You never know when death comes calling. I want to make everything orderly and avoid bothering my children when the day comes," said a person surnamed Liu who is in his 60s.
The service, which is well-established in many other countries such as the United States and Japan, allows people to make their own funeral arrangements, which are protected by contracts.
When people who signed the contracts pass away, service providers arrange funerals in accordance with their wishes, with the decision-makers shifting from relatives of the deceased to the deceased themselves.
The personalized service also involves hospice care and memorial services.
A screenshot of the film "Comfort"
