SHANGHAI - Funeral homes in Shanghai have long had trouble deciding what they should do when a family does not claim the ashes of a deceased relative.

That predicament became the subject of discussion again this past weekend when a funeral house invited volunteers to find resting places for 101 urns.

Eighteen volunteers came together for the task after learning about the unclaimed ashes through a notice in the media. Going to the Binhaiguyuan Cemetery in Shanghai on Saturday, they held various unclaimed urns in their hands as if they were related to the people whose ashes were inside and then buried them.

"This is the third time we have held such a ceremony," said Xu Xiaoying, manager of the cemetery's planning department. "We hope the deceased can rest in peace."

Chinese tradition holds that the dead can only rest in peace if they are buried underground.

"We chose this specific time because the winter solstice is drawing closer," Xu said.

Winter solstice, which falls on Dec 22 this year, is a day the Chinese consider auspicious for burying ashes and paying honor to ancestors. For that reason, it often sees cemeteries packed with people.

Binhaiguyuan Cemetery has also established a monument to deceased people whose ashes have not been claimed. It bears their names and, during the past four years, has become the final resting place of 797 urns.

Statistics from the Shanghai Funeral Service Center show the city contains more than 5,000 unclaimed urns, a number that is increasing every year, reported the Shanghai-based Oriental Morning Post.

An operator for the city's funeral hotline, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said ashes are often kept in lockers at the funeral home and those have lease terms. When the lockers' terms expire, the home will try to reach the family of the deceased person whose ashes are in question and ask if they want continue paying rent.

If they say "no" or if they cannot be found, the ashes are deemed to be unclaimed.

A staff member who works in the ashes storeroom at the Shanghai Baoxing Funeral Home said that the rent for one of the lockers ranges from 10 yuan ($1.58) a year to 340 yuan a year. The Baoxing Funeral Home alone contains 600 unclaimed urns.

Binhaiguyuan Cemetery has established a hotline and a website that enables people to learn whose ashes have not been claimed.