City asks public to choose eco-burials

Beijing will promote smaller tombs and ecologically friendly burials as it tries to persuade people to stop renting big tombs for the deceased, officials said.

Cemetery operators in Beijing will suggest that people not rent traditional ground tombs and instead opt for burials that are better for the environment, under a five-year plan for the funeral service sector.

In Chinese tradition, souls only rest in peace if their bodies are covered by soil. Older tombs involve ground burials and occupy several square meters.