Careful coffin craftsmen fulfil orders from Japan
Print Edition
WoodEN coffins engraved with dragons and phoenixes, cloth coffins covered with embroidered flowers and grass, handcrafted memorial tablets 鈥 people are dying to get their hands on coffins made in China.
In Zhuangzhai Township of Heze, east China鈥檚 Shandong Province, companies churn out coffins every day, a large number of which are exported to Japan, which has a rapidly aging population.
According to official figures, coffins exported from the township account for more than 60 percent of all coffins sold in Japan. Other related products such as cinerary caskets, memorial tablets and sacrificial alters are also popular.
Heze has abundant cheap wood of high quality, as well as seasoned craftsmen, laying a solid foundation for the coffin businesses.
鈥淭here are three main companies making wood and cloth coffins in the township,鈥 said local official Guo Fengmin.
鈥淎nnual production volume is about 740,000, with prices ranging from 500 yuan (US$73) to more than 2,000 yuan each, depending on various sizes and craftsmanship.鈥
Tian Liang, manager of Dehong Wood Product Company in Zhuangzhai, said: 鈥淛apanese clients are strict with every detail, from raw materials, to sizes, to decorations, or even smells. Some clients even use rulers to measure the coffins to see if the sizes are precise.鈥
Another company, the Yunlong Carvings located in Caoxian County, began making coffins in 2000.
It currently exports more than 200,000 coffins and about 240,000 memorial tablets to Japan. Annual revenue has exceeded 100 million yuan.
Company general manager Cai Xiufang said they had carefully studied Japanese demands.
鈥淔or example, we make coffins decorated with sakura elements during the flower鈥檚 blooming season,鈥 he said.
Japan is rapidly aging. It has 35.57 million senior citizens above the age of 65, accounting for 28.1 percent of its entire population. Last year, the mortality rate reached a record high since World War II, with 1.37 million people deceased, according to Japan鈥檚 Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
Zhou Yuhua has been a professional memorial tablet maker for 15 years. He said the tablets he made were carefully crafted by hand.
鈥淔or example, the ink characters by the writing brush do not disperse,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 hope the Japanese people appreciate the craftsmanship behind the products.鈥
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