Why should China carry out funeral reform?

The funeral reform, which aims at saving land, protecting the environment, changing customs and reducing the burden on the masses, conforms to the basic national conditions of China with a large population and a small land and a shortage of resources, and meets the basic requirements of building a well-off society in an all-round way and building a harmonious socialist society. Practice has proved that the funeral reform represents the fundamental interests of the people, conforms to the development trend of the times and promotes economic and social development. Further deepening the funeral reform is an objective need to build a resource-saving and environment-friendly society and realize the harmonious coexistence between man and nature. It is the proper meaning of adhering to people-oriented, focusing on safeguarding and improving people's livelihood and building a service-oriented government; It is an important symbol of establishing a new fashion of civilization and thrift and building a socialist core value system; It is an important guarantee to improve the level of social civilization and promote the construction of new socialist countryside.

According to the new situation, civil affairs departments at all levels should deeply understand the long-term, arduous and complex nature of funeral reform, fully understand the important significance of funeral reform in promoting China's economic, social, cultural and ecological construction, further unify their thinking, strengthen their confidence and forge ahead. We should actively enlist the support of Party committees and governments at all levels, relevant departments and all walks of life, intensify coordination and publicity, always adhere to the starting point and end result of realizing people's desire for funeral reform, meeting people's funeral needs and safeguarding people's funeral rights and interests, continuously deepen funeral reform, enhance the ability to serve the people, promote the scientific development of funeral undertakings, and achieve a higher level of funeral reform to benefit the people.

Attachment: Guiding opinions of the Ministry of Civil Affairs on further deepening the funeral reform and promoting the scientific development of funeral.

Minfa [2009] 170 No.

Civil Affairs Departments (bureaus) of all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, and Civil Affairs Bureau of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:

Funeral reform concerns the vital interests of the people, and the CPC Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to it. After years of efforts, China's funeral reform has been deepened and the funeral cause has made great progress. It has become a social consciousness to carry out cremation, reform burial, save land for funeral and interment, and conduct funeral in a civilized and frugal way. However, with the reform and opening up and rapid economic and social development, the contradiction between the overall level of China's funeral industry and the requirements of Scientific Outlook on Development has become increasingly prominent, and the funeral needs of the people cannot be fully met in terms of funeral resources allocation, funeral service quality, funeral assistance and security, funeral management system and operation mechanism. In order to further deepen the funeral reform, continuously meet the people's demand for funeral services, and promote the scientific development of funeral undertakings, we hereby put forward the following opinions:

First, fully understand the significance of deepening funeral reform.

The funeral reform, which aims at saving land, protecting the environment, changing customs and reducing the burden on the masses, conforms to the basic national conditions of China with a large population and a small land and a shortage of resources, and meets the basic requirements of building a well-off society in an all-round way and building a harmonious socialist society. Practice has proved that the funeral reform represents the fundamental interests of the people, conforms to the development trend of the times and promotes economic and social development. Further deepening the funeral reform is an objective need to build a resource-saving and environment-friendly society and realize the harmonious coexistence between man and nature. It is the proper meaning of adhering to people-oriented, focusing on safeguarding and improving people's livelihood and building a service-oriented government; It is an important symbol of establishing a new fashion of civilization and thrift and building a socialist core value system; It is an important guarantee to improve the level of social civilization and promote the construction of new socialist countryside.

According to the new situation, civil affairs departments at all levels should deeply understand the long-term, arduous and complex nature of funeral reform, fully understand the important significance of funeral reform in promoting China's economic, social, cultural and ecological construction, further unify their thinking, strengthen their confidence and forge ahead. We should actively enlist the support of Party committees and governments at all levels, relevant departments and all walks of life, intensify coordination and publicity, always adhere to the starting point and end result of realizing people's desire for funeral reform, meeting people's funeral needs and safeguarding people's funeral rights and interests, continuously deepen funeral reform, enhance the ability to serve the people, promote the scientific development of funeral undertakings, and achieve a higher level of funeral reform to benefit the people.

Second, the overall requirements for deepening the funeral reform

(1) guiding ideology. Guided by Deng Xiaoping Theory and Theory of Three Represents, we should conscientiously implement Scientific Outlook on Development, strengthen government responsibility and investment, unswervingly promote funeral reform, improve funeral service system, establish funeral assistance and security system, straighten out funeral management system, promote scientific and technological progress of funeral, establish a new trend of funeral reform, and strengthen supervision of funeral industry, which will play an important role in promoting comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development of China's economy and society.

(2) Basic principles.

1. People-oriented and scientific development. Firmly establish the purpose of people-oriented, solving problems for the people and serving the people, combine deepening funeral reform with safeguarding people's basic funeral rights and interests, and realize equalization of basic funeral services. Promote the development of funeral science, carry out theoretical innovation, institutional innovation and scientific and technological innovation of funeral, organically combine funeral management with service, reform and development, and promote the harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

2. Government-led, market participation. Give full play to the leading role of the government in promoting funeral reform, further clarify departmental responsibilities, straighten out relations, and improve the ability and level of government funeral management and funeral services. The government should increase investment in basic funeral services. For other selective funeral services, pay attention to the role of market regulation to meet the multi-level needs of the people.

3. Separation of political affairs. Correctly handle the relationship between administration and business, service and management, and give full play to the important role of public welfare funeral institutions in providing basic funeral services and safeguarding people's funeral rights and interests. Effectively transform government functions, adhere to the separation of management and management, supervise and handle cases, and realize the fairness and integrity of funeral service management, and the openness and fairness of funeral management and supervision.

4. Overall consideration and classified guidance. Pay attention to overall planning, adjust measures to local conditions, and promote the harmonious development between man and nature. Insist on seeking truth from facts, proceed from reality, and constantly improve the policies and measures of funeral reform according to their own conditions and characteristics, so as to promote the scientific development of funeral undertakings.

(3) Main objectives. Curb the problem of cremation rate decline and indiscriminate burial in some areas. Through active publicity and advocacy, the way of land-saving burial and leaving no ashes has gradually been accepted by the masses. Establish a relatively complete funeral service network, funeral assistance and security system, funeral management system and operation mechanism, and basically realize high-quality funeral services, standardized funeral management, orderly funeral reform, ecological ashes disposal, civilized funeral customs and modern funeral facilities.

(4) Main tasks.

1. Insist on cremation and innovate the way of burying ashes. Scientifically determine the cremation area and scope, and gradually expand the cremation area according to population density, traffic conditions, facilities configuration and people's acceptance. Continue to consolidate and improve the cremation rate, popularize the land-saving burial method, focus on the management of "two funerals with coffins", advocate not retaining ashes, realize the diversification of ashes burial, and reduce the proportion of burial.

2. Actively reform burial and manage funeral activities according to law. Where cremation conditions are not available, it is necessary to increase publicity, guide the masses to change their concepts, change customs, actively participate in the reform of burial, control indiscriminate burial, and gradually reduce the area of burial. Strictly limit the land used for graves, choose barren hills and wasteland as far as possible to implement relatively centralized burial of remains, and promote the burial method of graves-free remains.

3. Improve funeral facilities and improve public service capacity. Establish and improve the government's investment mechanism for funeral services, improve funeral service facilities, and form a funeral service network covering urban and rural residents. Focus on strengthening the construction of urban and rural public welfare ashes storage facilities, and update and transform backward cremation facilities and equipment. Meet the basic funeral needs of the people, save funeral land and reduce environmental pollution. Constantly innovate service mode and carry out honest and high-quality service.

4. Standardize cemetery management and protect the ecological environment. Formulate and improve the cemetery construction plan, and strictly examine and approve the operating cemetery. Actively coordinate relevant departments, resolutely ban illegal cemeteries, correct the illegal construction of cemeteries, strengthen the supervision of cemetery management, prevent speculation, and increase the management of luxury cemeteries.

5. Reduce the burden on the masses and realize the equalization of basic services. Reasonably define the scope of government basic funeral services and market-selective funeral services, strictly implement government pricing, government-guided prices and market-regulated prices, and stabilize the prices of funeral services and funeral supplies. Vigorously promote the policy of benefiting the people's funeral and interment, and gradually establish a funeral and interment assistance security system based on basic funeral services for key relief objects, supplemented by other forms of funeral assistance, and aiming at equalization of basic funeral services.

6. Establish a new civilization and promote the development of funeral and interment. Vigorously advocate the new concept and fashion of funeral, carry forward the advanced funeral culture, advocate civilized and frugal funeral, guide the masses to get rid of the bad habits of funeral, and establish a new style of funeral reform. Strengthen the research on funeral theory and funeral culture, promote the innovation of funeral science and technology and the construction of talent team, strengthen the construction of morals and rectification work, and promote the healthy development of funeral undertakings.

Three, take effective measures to promote the reform of funeral.

(a) to formulate and improve the funeral development plan. All localities should, in light of local conditions and in accordance with the requirements of the Twelfth Five-Year Plan formulated by the state and local governments, formulate and improve the development plan for funeral undertakings, and incorporate it into the overall plan for local national economic and social development, clarify the specific objectives and tasks of funeral reform and development, and adopt practical policies, measures and methods. According to the conditions of population, cultivated land, transportation and ecology, the cremation area and burial reform area are scientifically divided, the number, scale, layout and function of funeral facilities are reasonably determined, the allocation standards of funeral equipment are considered as a whole, and the operating cemeteries are strictly controlled.

In accordance with the funeral laws and policies, comprehensive use of legal, administrative and economic means, strict administration according to law, establish and improve the funeral law enforcement agencies and law enforcement mechanisms. Adhere to cremation in the cremation area to ensure a steady increase in the cremation rate; Strengthen the management of ashes and implement the system of ashes burial and filing; Actively promote tree burial, flower burial, lawn burial and other land-saving burial methods, encourage and advocate deep burial, scattered burial, sea burial and other ways that do not retain ashes, and implement green funeral. Burial areas adhere to local conditions, gradually promote funeral reform, educate and guide the masses to abandon cement stones to build graves and protect the ecological environment; Improve funeral service facilities, strengthen the construction of public welfare cemeteries in rural areas, and avoid indiscriminate burial. The new cremation area should adhere to gradual progress, strengthen policy propaganda and guidance, do a good job in the ideological work of the masses, pay attention to ways and means, and actively and step by step promote cremation.

(2) improve the level of funeral services. It is necessary to further optimize the contents, procedures and standards of funeral services, improve the funeral service network that facilitates the people and the people, and gradually form a service pattern with basic funeral services as the main body and selective funeral services as the supplement. As a basic funeral service, the pick-up, storage, cremation and ashes storage of remains are provided by public welfare funeral service units, and the basic funeral service can be appropriately increased according to the local economic and social development level and demand. For selective funeral services, including special funeral services such as body shaping, anti-corrosion, farewell, ashes burial and funeral supplies, it is necessary to establish industry norms, implement voluntary selection, fair consultation, market-oriented operation and government supervision. In areas where conditions permit, cremation services will be gradually separated from other funeral services. Crematorium mainly undertakes cremation services, and funeral parlour mainly provides services such as mourning and farewell.

Funeral services such as funeral parlours, crematoriums and columbariums organized by the government should firmly establish the awareness of benefiting the people and the people, and vigorously carry out "one-stop" services and convenience services. It is necessary to strictly implement government pricing and government-guided prices, take the lead in reducing market-regulated prices, play a role in stabilizing prices, standardize funeral service charges, and ensure that the prices of similar funeral supplies are not higher than the market prices, and the supply of low-priced funeral supplies is sufficient, and it is not allowed to bind, force or mislead consumption. It is necessary to strengthen internal management, improve service quality, establish a comprehensive evaluation system based on post responsibility and performance appraisal, and implement service accountability system.

(3) Strengthen the management of cemeteries. In accordance with the relevant requirements, further strengthen the management of cemetery construction and operation examination and approval, and strictly manage the examination and approval of cemeteries. Without going through the formalities of agricultural land conversion and land expropriation according to law, no operating cemetery shall be built. In areas where public welfare ashes storage facilities are perfect, we should seriously study the management and control mechanism of operating cemeteries. In addition to being included in the planning, in principle, no new operating cemeteries will be built or the area of existing cemeteries will be expanded. Actively develop urban and rural public welfare ashes storage facilities, increase investment and construction efforts to meet the needs of the masses for ashes placement. Without approval, any form of public cemetery may not be converted into a business cemetery.

In accordance with the principle of territorial management, we will effectively strengthen the management of cemeteries according to law, focusing on strengthening the annual inspection system and daily supervision. Strictly guard against speculation. In addition to pre-selling (renting) to survivors, the elderly and critically ill patients to ensure their own use, cemetery operators must sell (rent) graves or ashes storage spaces strictly on the basis of death certificates or cremation certificates, and may not sell (rent) oversized and luxurious graves, nor may they speculate on buying graves or ashes storage spaces. It is necessary to standardize the renewal of tombs, study the service life of cemeteries, increase the plot ratio of cemeteries, and increase the recycling of funeral land. Urban and rural columbarium must adhere to the principle of public welfare, and collect the ashes storage fee according to the government pricing or cost price. Actively promote the miniaturization, artistry and diversification of tombstones.

(four) the implementation of Huimin funeral policy. All localities should actively strive for the government's funeral policy of benefiting the people, and accelerate the establishment and improvement of the funeral assistance security system in light of the actual situation. For those who have a particularly difficult life before their death, the government will waive the basic funeral service fees such as body pick-up, storage, cremation and ashes storage. In accordance with the principle of basic protection, wide coverage and sustainability, areas with conditions can start with key relief targets and gradually expand to provide free basic funeral services to all residents in their jurisdiction, and the government will pay the bill. For those who don't keep the ashes in the land-saving burial law, and those who are cremated voluntarily in the burial reform area, the government will give rewards and subsidies, and establish a multi-level funeral assistance guarantee system covering urban and rural residents.

Establish and improve the public investment and stable growth mechanism of funeral and interment, increase the renovation of basic funeral service facilities and equipment, especially cremation equipment, and public investment in urban and rural columbariums. Incorporate funeral expenses into the local financial budget and continuously enhance the government's ability to provide basic funeral services. Incorporate rural public welfare ashes storage facilities into the planning of building a new socialist countryside and village-level public welfare undertakings, and give necessary policy guidance and financial support. Welfare lottery public welfare fund can be used to support funeral assistance and facilities and equipment construction in economically underdeveloped areas and ethnic minority areas.

(five) straighten out the funeral management system. Further clarify the responsibilities of relevant departments in funeral reform, funeral management, funeral services, funeral prices and funeral supplies production and sales, and form a management system with government leadership, civil affairs coordination and attention from all departments. Civil affairs departments mainly undertake the functions of promoting funeral reform, strengthening funeral management and supervision of funeral services, coordinating relevant departments to stop indiscriminate burial and strengthening market supervision. Starting from being conducive to funeral reform and effective government supervision, we will actively promote the separation of government affairs and management. Civil affairs administrative organs at all levels should gradually decouple from operating cemeteries and other funeral service enterprises. In the future, the civil administrative organs will no longer participate in the construction and operation of operating cemeteries and other funeral service enterprises as sponsors or investors, and the functionaries of the organs shall not hold positions or work part-time in operating cemeteries and other funeral service enterprises, and shall not obtain any form of benefits from them.

Funeral management institutions should earnestly perform funeral management functions, conscientiously carry out funeral law enforcement, not engage in funeral business activities, and not charge any management fees to funeral service units and enterprises, and gradually decouple from funeral service units and enterprises in terms of people, money and materials. Funeral service institutions should gradually separate basic funeral services from selective funeral services, and selective funeral services should be market-oriented. Funeral homes with basic funeral service functions built by social capital can be converted into funeral service institutions through government redemption.

(six) to establish a new trend of changing customs. Rely on the masses closely, fully trust the masses, mobilize the masses widely, understand and grasp the historical significance and practical value of traditional funeral culture, actively explore and promote funeral customs and cultural forms that can meet the people's wishes and needs of remembering their ancestors and pursuing the future with caution, adapt to contemporary society and coordinate with modern civilization, fully cultivate, excavate and protect the people's wishes and requirements for actively implementing funeral reform, and continuously enhance their consciousness of participating in funeral reform. We should give full play to the role of social organizations, trade associations, village (neighborhood) committees and red and white councils, take traditional festivals such as Tomb-Sweeping Day as an opportunity to publicize the importance and necessity of implementing funeral reform to the people, and carry out funeral publicity into community activities. We should always adhere to the correct direction of public opinion, make full use of news media such as radio, television, newspapers and the Internet, actively publicize funeral reform, and advocate a new style of civilization.

(seven) to promote the reform and innovation of funeral. Actively integrate funeral resources, promote theoretical innovation, scientific and technological innovation and mechanism innovation of funeral reform, improve the ability to promote funeral reform, and focus on solving problems in basic theory, technological progress and operational mechanism of funeral. We should attach importance to the theoretical research of funeral and interment, speed up the research, and guide the practice of funeral and interment reform with theoretical research results. Carry out scientific and technological research on funeral and promote environmentally-friendly funeral products, especially energy-saving and emission-reducing funeral equipment, degradable urns and coffins. Strengthen the research and formulation of technical standards for funeral facilities, products and services, and establish and improve the supervision mechanism. Strengthen environmental monitoring, governance and evaluation, and implement environmental quality certification system. Carry out vocational training and appraisal of funeral practitioners, explore the establishment of a qualification access system for funeral practitioners, strengthen the construction of funeral talents, and improve the overall quality and ability of funeral workers. Summarize experience, set an example, vigorously carry out demonstration activities of funeral reform, and strive to form a unique local funeral reform and development model.

(eight) to strengthen the supervision of funeral and burial and the construction of morals. Formulate fair and just industry policies, standardize the access conditions for social capital to hold funeral service units, improve their professional qualifications, and explore the establishment of a funeral industry access system. Strengthen the supervision and management of funeral services, ashes placement, burial reform, changing customs, and Tomb-Sweeping Day's sacrifice. Civil affairs departments should strengthen guidance in accordance with the requirements of social organization management, give full play to the role of funeral associations, support social organizations such as funeral associations and their members to strengthen industry self-discipline, improve their own quality, and assume public welfare responsibilities. In accordance with the requirements of "management industry must manage morality", we should conscientiously implement the responsibility system and earnestly strengthen the construction and rectification of funeral morals. Adhere to the people-oriented, serving the masses as the main content of morals construction and rectification work, and make overall arrangements with funeral work. Focus on controlling arbitrary charges for funeral and interment, and resolutely correct the outstanding problems of using the particularity of the industry to harm the interests of the masses. Actively carry out democratic appraisal and moral construction demonstration units to create activities, educate cadres and workers in the funeral system to enhance their sense of purpose, overall situation and service, and carry forward their fine style. Typical cases that are forbidden, forbidden, and against the wind and discipline should be severely investigated and publicly exposed.

(9) Strengthen organizational leadership. Civil affairs departments at all levels should further enhance their understanding of the importance of funeral reform, enhance their sense of responsibility and urgency, persist in promoting funeral reform, accelerate the development of funeral undertakings, and improve the level of funeral services. It is necessary to effectively strengthen leadership, put it on an important agenda, and incorporate it into the work assessment system. The main leaders should personally take the lead in investigation and study, regularly listen to work reports, make arrangements, pay close attention to implementation, and focus on solving difficult and hot issues of funeral. It is necessary to care for and support funeral work and funeral workers, and fully mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of all parties.

The situation and development of funeral reform vary from place to place. Civil affairs departments at all levels should be keenly aware of the situation, be good at grasping key points and be diligent in accumulating trivial matters. We should be brave in exploration and innovation, take safeguarding the people's funeral rights and interests as the purpose, promote the construction of funeral facilities as the basis, improve the funeral service level as the starting point, and improve the funeral management system as the guarantee, continuously deepen the funeral reform and promote the scientific development of funeral undertakings.

Press release issued on 3 February 2009/KLOC-0.