'Green burial' encouraged

People are reluctant to let go of traditional ways of resting in peace

BEIJING - As China embraces the 21st century, the country still faces hurdles promoting more environmentally-friendly types of funeral and interment like cremation, sea burial and tree burial.

"The government has been promoting new types of green burial for years, which can help avoid the waste of social and natural resources," Li Bo, deputy director of the social affairs department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA), said at a meeting on Wednesday where he issued the country's first green book on funeral development.