Farewell from a foreign family at a traditional Chinese funeral

We run a guesthouse in a small village near Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and integrating into rural life has been one of our main interests.

Recently, the father of our night guard passed away. The bangs of fireworks heralded the start of the funeral, on a day that rained continuously, causing floods - unusual in the dry season.

The immediate family stayed with the body for nearly two days and various rituals were carried out. There were signs of respect and a way of saying farewell. And there was possibly a vital chance for the Chinese involved to hold on to some of their rich cultural heritage.