To some, death means 'easy money'
Source: Xinhua |
April 6, 2010, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WITH China's traditional holiday for honoring the dead falling yesterday, throngs of people jostle along the 2-kilometer road in Liudaokou Village, Tianjin Municipality, where more than 100 wholesale funeral supply shops compete for business.
"This urn is 170 yuan (US$25) wholesale, 1,000 yuan retail here. A retailer can sell it for 5,000 yuan in the city," says saleswoman Li Na, pointing at a plain red wood urn inscribed with two Chinese characters "bai fu," or a hundred blessings.
"It's easy money," says Li. "No one wants to bargain for a container of his father, mother or whoever's ashes."
In a country where about 10 million people die every year, the funeral industry market is worth tens of billions of yuan, said Hao Maishou, a researcher with Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences.
However, a lack of market standards is allowing unscrupulous business people to monopolize areas of the industry and exploit people's grief, Hao said.
In another shop, tags claim that the urns, priced from 200 to 600 yuan, are made of rare and precious ebony or redwood.
But are they?
"Of course they are not made of ebony or redwood, or they would not be so inexpensive," Li says, "but if the urns were finely made and tagged with high prices, customers wouldn't doubt it."
Wang Na, owner of Lingzhitang funeral supply shop, teaches a novice retailer to sell a 200 yuan urn for 5,000 yuan.
"Say it's ebony, rosewood, redwood or whatever precious material and quote high. Customers like premium urns. They won't buy cheap ones."
Elaborate funeral remains a traditional culture of the Chinese, as nobody wants to be regarded as stingy or unfilial on funeral issues, especially for deceased relatives, said a Tianjin businessman involved in funeral service, who only identifies himself as Liu.
"As long as you understand and utilize such a feeling, you are guaranteed to make a pile," Liu said.
Tombs are another major source of profit for the industry.
In a suburban graveyard in west Beijing, Liu Hai has just bought a 0.8-square-meter tomb for 75,000 yuan.
"The tomb's price per square meter was even higher than that of premium apartments in urban Beijing. But it was for my mother, I had no choice," Liu says.
City governments, which put a priority in meeting demand for housing land, are very prudent in allocating land for graves, creating a supply shortage, said Liu Tieliang, vice president of Chinese Folklore Society.
To meet the demand, more suburban graveyards need to be developed, Liu said.
(Xinhua)
"This urn is 170 yuan (US$25) wholesale, 1,000 yuan retail here. A retailer can sell it for 5,000 yuan in the city," says saleswoman Li Na, pointing at a plain red wood urn inscribed with two Chinese characters "bai fu," or a hundred blessings.
"It's easy money," says Li. "No one wants to bargain for a container of his father, mother or whoever's ashes."
In a country where about 10 million people die every year, the funeral industry market is worth tens of billions of yuan, said Hao Maishou, a researcher with Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences.
However, a lack of market standards is allowing unscrupulous business people to monopolize areas of the industry and exploit people's grief, Hao said.
In another shop, tags claim that the urns, priced from 200 to 600 yuan, are made of rare and precious ebony or redwood.
But are they?
"Of course they are not made of ebony or redwood, or they would not be so inexpensive," Li says, "but if the urns were finely made and tagged with high prices, customers wouldn't doubt it."
Wang Na, owner of Lingzhitang funeral supply shop, teaches a novice retailer to sell a 200 yuan urn for 5,000 yuan.
"Say it's ebony, rosewood, redwood or whatever precious material and quote high. Customers like premium urns. They won't buy cheap ones."
Elaborate funeral remains a traditional culture of the Chinese, as nobody wants to be regarded as stingy or unfilial on funeral issues, especially for deceased relatives, said a Tianjin businessman involved in funeral service, who only identifies himself as Liu.
"As long as you understand and utilize such a feeling, you are guaranteed to make a pile," Liu said.
Tombs are another major source of profit for the industry.
In a suburban graveyard in west Beijing, Liu Hai has just bought a 0.8-square-meter tomb for 75,000 yuan.
"The tomb's price per square meter was even higher than that of premium apartments in urban Beijing. But it was for my mother, I had no choice," Liu says.
City governments, which put a priority in meeting demand for housing land, are very prudent in allocating land for graves, creating a supply shortage, said Liu Tieliang, vice president of Chinese Folklore Society.
To meet the demand, more suburban graveyards need to be developed, Liu said.
(Xinhua)
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