

This shows loyalty to the person who has died, keeping them company as they are prepared to journey into the spiritual afterlife. What happens at a Chinese funeral?īefore the funeral ceremony, family members take turns sitting with the person who has died in a vigil or wake known as shou ling. The same applies to death rituals and chinese funerals are usually arranged by the children of the person who has died or younger members of the family.

In the case of a royal burial, good or bad feng shui may affect the entire nation.Īt the heart of Chinese culture is filial piety or reverence for elders and ancestors. Feng shui is the practice of spacing physical objects in a particular way to influence the flow of energy, or chi, and it is believed that the grave’s location will impact the chi surrounding the family of the person who has died. What are Chinese funeral traditions?īurial is traditionally favoured in Chinese funerals, but with a rapidly expanding population, cremation is becoming more common.Ĭhinese burial practice dictates that the location of Chinese graves (which are usually mound-shaped) be chosen according to the complicated laws of feng shui. Chinese burial practices depend on the age, social status and marital status of the person who has died. With elaborate funeral rites and memorial rituals, China has always put a lot of time and money into honouring the souls of those who have died.

Being such a large and diverse country, Chinese funeral rituals are influenced by many different religious and regional differences. For thousands of years, the Chinese have had a complex relationship with death and the dead.
