A nail in coffin for masons

With many people favoring greener burials, such as those at sea or a simple burial of ashes under trees, the gravestone business in the hometown of white marble has recently seen business fall by a third.

Dashiwo town in Fangshan district is the only place in North China that produces white marble. The stone can be seen in the Ming Tombs and in monuments in Tian'anmen Square.

Song Yongtian, general manager of Jingyi Carving Co, the largest of many stonemasons in Dashiwo, said business was down significantly this year and was even poor during Tomb Sweeping Festival, which is a time when gravestones are usually hot sellers.