Buried at sea

Buried at sea

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Faced with an ageing population, soaring property prices and increasingly scarce land, traditional burials are an expensive and complex affair for many in China.

As an alternative, the government has been trying for years to convince more people to break with tradition and bury loved ones at sea. The idea has been slow to catch on, but a few have embraced the custom.

. SHANGHAI, China. Reuters/Carlos Barria

The image above shows an empty niche at a gravesite on the outskirts of Shanghai.

For many, finding space for a regular burial is no easy matter - new urban cemetery land is limited, regulations are complicated, and the process can be very costly.

A traditional burial in Shanghai, one of China's most expensive cities, can cost from 40,000 yuan ($6,450) to more than half a million yuan ($80,000).

Sea burials can represent a cheaper option; the government gives each family a subsidy of 2,000 yuan ($320) and the boat ride is free.

. SHANGHAI, CHINA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

From 1991, the ashes of more than 28,000 people had been scattered at sea in Shanghai, helping to save 8.3 hectares (20 acres) of land, the China Daily newspaper reported in April.

This year, the Shanghai Funeral Services Center from the Civil Affairs Bureau is planning to conduct 33 group burials at sea, 10 more than last year.

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Slideshow

A mourner waits for a bus to depart to take her to a sea burial ceremony.
. SHANGHAI, China. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A mourner waits for a bus to depart to take her to a sea burial ceremony.

Staff from the Shanghai Funeral Services Centre push a cart carrying people's ashes as they prepare for a sea burial.
. SHANGHAI, CHINA. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Staff from the Shanghai Funeral Services Centre push a cart carrying people's ashes as they prepare for a sea burial.

A worker for the Shanghai Funeral Services Centre carries bags of ashes.
. SHANGHAI, China. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A worker for the Shanghai Funeral Services Centre carries bags of ashes.

A man arrives to catch a bus that will take mourners to the sea burial.
. SHANGHAI, China. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A man arrives to catch a bus that will take mourners to the sea burial.

People board a boat for the burial ceremony. Each trip to the confluence of the Yangtze and the Pacific Ocean can accommodate about 250 people. Organisers allow a maximum of six family members to accompany each urn.
. SHANGHAI, China. Reuters/Carlos Barria

People board a boat for the burial ceremony. Each trip to the confluence of the Yangtze and the Pacific Ocean can accommodate about 250 people. Organisers allow a maximum of six family members to accompany each urn.

A couple travels on the ferry to scatter the ashes of a relative into the ocean.
. SHANGHAI, China. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A couple travels on the ferry to scatter the ashes of a relative into the ocean.

A woman waits in line to scatter the ashes of a relative.
. SHANGHAI, China. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A woman waits in line to scatter the ashes of a relative.

A woman stands near the window of the boat as she attends the burial ceremony.
. SHANGHAI, China. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A woman stands near the window of the boat as she attends the burial ceremony.

People scatter ashes into the sea.
. SHANGHAI, China. Reuters/Carlos Barria

People scatter ashes into the sea.

A woman reacts after releasing her relative's ashes.
. SHANGHAI, China. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A woman reacts after releasing her relative's ashes.

People observe a moment of silence after scattering the ashes of the deceased.
. SHANGHAI, China. Reuters/Carlos Barria

People observe a moment of silence after scattering the ashes of the deceased.

Flowers float on the ocean's surface after the sea burial ceremony.
. SHANGHAI, China. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Flowers float on the ocean's surface after the sea burial ceremony.