Scattering Ashes at Sea in Shanghai, China
I’ve written before about the sea-burial service offered by the authorities in Hong Kong — a thoughtful, if somewhat bureaucratic, attempt to ease the pressure that traditional burials place on precious land. I’ve always been a supporter of green burials, but it’s rare to see the subject discussed openly and pragmatically. In Shanghai, though, the issue has moved well beyond discussion: land use has become a serious matter of policy.
People often say, “What’s not to like about a few more acres of woodland?” — and of course, who can argue with that? But scale matters. In China, everything is on another level, and the numbers can be staggering.
Before we get lost in hectares and percentages, though, there are a few other parts of this story that caught my eye:
The traditions
Memorialisation
The protest
The flowers
So, if the statistics don’t thrill you, the cultural detail will.
A Matter of Scale
Shanghai was the first city in China to offer burials at sea, beginning in 1991. The service has grown steadily since, with over 60,000 people’s ashes scattered at sea by 2024 — saving more than 25,000 square metres of land according to city officials.
That might sound modest, but consider the numbers: Shanghai records around 120,000 deaths a year. If each grave requires roughly 1.5 square metres, a single year’s burials would consume about 18 hectares of land — nearly 45 acres — and that land has to be within reach of the living. Cemeteries can’t simply be shifted to the countryside; they need to sit near urban populations. Hence the push for sea burials.
As one official put it, “Shanghai is short of graveyards, while burials at sea save the land for the descendants. It’s one of the most advanced and environmentally friendly funeral methods.”
Yet even with municipal support, the system strains under demand. There are only a few licensed vessels, and capacity often falls short. Subsidised services are oversubscribed, and even private operators report waiting lists. The government subsidy for families choosing sea burial has increased to 2,000 yuan (around £220) — a clear signal that authorities are serious about encouraging this greener option.
By comparison, a traditional land plot in Shanghai can cost upwards of 80,000 yuan (£8,500), while private chartered sea burials cost around 20,000 yuan (£2,100). Land is precious, and death is expensive.
Tradition Meets Modernity
It’s easy, from a Western perspective, to assume the environmental argument will win the day — but tradition runs deep in China. As Liu Yuanchuan of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences explains, Confucian values teach that the body is a gift from one’s parents and should be returned to the earth intact. Burial preserves the body’s integrity; to scatter ashes is to disrupt the cycle of filial respect.
Some Taoist beliefs go further, holding that without the body’s presence in the ground, the soul cannot reincarnate. Meanwhile, Buddhist teachings view scattering ashes at sea as an act of kindness — symbolically returning to the great cycle of nature — though that interpretation is still a minority view.
As Liu notes, “If we only promote this as a way of saving land, it will have little effect. If we can make it worthwhile to be buried at sea, it will be better.” Whether he meant financially, spiritually, or emotionally, one can only wonder.
Perhaps the future of sea burials in China lies not just in saving land, but in reframing the act — as a modern, dignified, and even compassionate alternative to burial.
Remembering Without a Grave
One major challenge is memorialisation. If ashes are scattered, where do the living go to remember?
Shanghai’s answer lies in Binhai Park, Fengxian District, where a Sea Burial Memorial Hall was built in 2004. It holds thousands of names carved in stone and offers digital screens where visitors can view photographs and biographies of their loved ones.
It’s a thoughtful solution in a culture deeply shaped by ancestor veneration — where honouring the departed is as important as worshipping deities. The memorial hall gives mourners a focus for their grief, even when the remains lie far out to sea.
But even that has its limits. As one manager pointed out, “We are considering more virtual monuments to replace the stone ones — to save land.” Even remembrance, it seems, must now find room in the cloud.
Perhaps we should do a Chinese version of the Ashes Register
When Weather and Superstition Collide
The service is popular — and that popularity brings tension. Sea conditions on the East China coast are unpredictable, and funerals can be delayed by fog or storms. On one occasion, a postponement meant a scattering was rescheduled for noon — considered an inauspicious hour — prompting one furious mourner to leap into the harbour in protest before being hauled out by police.
The episode, while extreme, captures the delicate balance between faith, superstition and logistics that these modern services must navigate.
The Flowers
In the photographs accompanying many of these ceremonies, families scatter chrysanthemums onto the water — elegant, unassuming flowers that, in Chinese culture, symbolise grief and remembrance. In the UK we tend to favour roses or lilies; in Hindu and Sikh rituals, marigolds (those vivid orange flowers) take centre stage. Each culture finds its own bloom for farewell.
A Modern Expression of an Ancient Duty
China’s experiment in sea burials tells us a lot about the intersection of faith, environment and urban reality. Land is finite, populations are vast, and yet the human need to honour the dead endures.
The challenge — and perhaps the opportunity — lies in finding ways to make new practices feel authentic. To make scattering ashes not just practical, but meaningful.
Shanghai may be leading the way in reimagining that balance: a modern version of tradition, one that saves land, protects nature, and still gives families a way to remember.
Sources & Further Reading
China Daily (2012) – “Burial at sea saves land, promotes green funerals”
https://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-12/24/content_16044947.htmReuters (2014) – “As attitudes change in China, people look to the sea for burial”
https://www.reuters.com/article/world/as-attitudes-change-in-china-people-look-to-the-sea-for-burial-idUSBREA4E099Sixth Tone (2019) – “Resting in the Deep: Sea Burials Offer an Eco-Friendly Alternative”
https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1002033/resting-in-the-deepECNS News (2019) – “Shanghai sees more burials at sea as green funerals encouraged”
https://www.ecns.cn/news/society/2019-03-19/detail-ifzfmzhu2193625.shtmlShanghai Daily Archive (2014) – “More sea burials planned to meet rising demand”
https://archive.shine.cn/metro/society/More-sea-burials-planned-to-meet-rising-demand/shdaily.shtmlChina Daily (2018) – “Green funerals gaining ground in China”
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201803/28/WS5abaec65a3105cdcf6514bc4.htmlCity News Service (2024) – “Forum hears Shanghai’s approach to funerals saving land”
https://www.citynewsservice.cn/news/Forum-hears-Shanghai%27s-approach-to-funerals-saving-land-dk4w8alm