WANG Shun, a 77-year-old retired worker in Shanghai, has been debating whether to purchase a prepaid funeral plan, which is a relatively new insurance product in China.

“My kids are all in the United States, and they told me it is a common practice there,” Wang says. “But here in China, it’s a new idea and I sort of want to see how it goes.”

Wang was speaking to Shanghai Daily in a graveyard on the Winter Solstice which fell on Wednesday this year. In ancient times, Chinese believed that the Winter Solstice was the day when yin began dropping and yang began ascending — a new start and a day when many families visit graveyards to honor their ancestors.

The idea of “treating the dead as if they were alive” is an old one in China. It was the reason behind the famous terracotta warriors unearthed in the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC). Countless tombs of ancient aristocrats were built like homes to house the dead, complete with bedrooms, living rooms and even kitchens.

Today, many old traditions are undergoing simplification, though the complexity of ceremonies for the dead remains. The color and style of a shroud is still considered essential, as are the number and content of dishes offered up to honor ancestors and the various ceremonies held weekly until the 49th day after a person has died.

The price of tombs and funeral services continues to climb up all over China, especially in cities like Shanghai. Prepaid funeral insurance guarantees specified services at a set rate that won’t rise with inflation. However, Chinese in different regions have reacted differently to the concept.

Most Chinese, especially the older generation, still consider it bad luck to even mention death when a person is still alive. Signing a deal that discusses one’s funeral arrangements in detail grates on tradition.

The Shanghai Funeral Service Center recently told the media that it started offering prepaid plans dating back five years, but only six customers bought.

Supported by the government, the insurance product mainly targets elderly people who have no children or who have lost touch with them. It was not widely promoted in the market.

The service center admits the concept has its ingrained detractors. Many people worry about the safety of the money they invest in their own funerals, about the legitimacy of the product on offer and about whether what’s written down on paper will actually be implemented after death occurs.

“Who is there to check for me?” Zhu Xiuqin, 51, an administrator in a state-owned enterprise, asks.

Tempting fate?

Like many Chinese, she also believes that arranging details of your own funeral is an invitation to death.

“A friend of mine bought his grave site when he was only 62,” says Zhu. “At the time he was very healthy. Then, suddenly, two months later, he died of a stroke. His wife died a few weeks later. I know it might sound superstitious, but I prefer not to tempt fate. You just never know.”

Sometimes children are the main obstacles for seniors thinking about prepaid funeral coverage.

The daughter and son-in-law of 65-year-old Zhang Ping are strongly against her purchasing such a plan because they think it tells the world that they have failed in their filial duties.

It is traditional for children to pay for and oversee funeral arrangements for their parents.

Nonetheless, insurance companies and funeral service providers believe the effects of a rapidly ageing population will start to break down old taboos and provide widespread business opportunities.

Some prepaid funeral products have become available nationwide in the past year, evoking a mixture of indignation and resigned acceptance across China.

Last month, a prepaid funeral product was unveiled at the 3rd China International Silver Industry in Guangzhou. Its marketing slogan attracted a lot of attention: “The least filial obedience product in history.”

The insurance plan offers two options, one costing 13,000 yuan (US$1,873) and one costing 35,000 yuan. Policyholders can choose the prepaid funeral service or can will the money, with a fixed interest rate, to beneficiaries of their choice.

More than 100 of the policies have been purchased since the plan was launched in Guangzhou in April, and 60 percent of purchasers were children buying on behalf of their parents. The rest were bought by senior citizens.

In Hefei, capital city of Anhui Province, more than 300 policies under another prepaid funeral product have been sold in the past year, at an average price of about 5,000 yuan. Of those, 92 policyholders have since died, receiving the funeral and burial services they paid for. That has helped ease the anxieties some elderly people toying with the idea of buying prepaid funeral insurance.

“Many elderly with only one child bought the insurance to save trouble for their children, who are now in their late 20s or 30s and burdened by work and their own families,” the Hefei insurer told the media.

“For many families here, their children are working and living in bigger cities and aren’t around anymore.”

Voices

 Sarah Lin, 25, PhD candidate

“I wouldn’t buy prepaid funeral insurance for myself because I don’t really care about what happens after I die. Ashes to ashes. I would rather use that money when I am alive. If my parents want to buy such products, I will sup­port them and I am willing to pay for it, too. I am an only child and I know nothing about funeral ceremonies and traditions, so it would be very helpful if they choose what they want while they are still alive.”

Roland Yang, 38, corporate executive

“My grandmother passed away very sud­denly, and everyone panicked because we haven’t had a funeral in the family for so many years. Nobody knew whom to call or what to do. We ended up with one of those one-stop services, and the relatives from our home­town thought it was not professionally done and many old traditions were executed in the wrong. It was all a big deal for older relatives who believe the funeral ceremonies affect my grandmother’s afterlife. I guess I would con­sider prepaid services if they have a wide op­tions for us to choose from, so we can satisfy all the older relatives.”

Lin Qingfang, 45, accountant

“As children, we are responsible for our elder­ly parents, all the way to their deathbeds and into their afterlives. What would people think of us if our parents bought prepaid insurance? That’s a concept for people with no children to care for them.”

Yan Xuwen, 59, engineer

“I researched such insurance products online. I’m very interested. My wife and I are of the same mind. We don’t want to cause trouble for others, not even our own son. He has his own family now, with responsibilities for his wife and daughter. As parents, we have done our part in bringing him up. Now we just try to do our best not to add any pressure on him.”