In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that erupted at the end of 2019, wreaking havoc and claiming countless lives over the past five years, the aftermath of domestically produced vaccines is now inflicting a second blow on the populace, continuing to result in a significant loss of lives. The funeral industry is experiencing an unexpected boom as a shortage of burial plots emerges, prompting authorities to weaken long-standing cremation regulations and tacitly endorse traditional burials, while also promoting alternative forms such as sea burials, tree burials, flower burials, and lawn burials to alleviate rising public discontent.
The escalating COVID-19 situation has once again captured attention. According to a recent report by Chinese media outlet “China Business Journal,” Dr. Li Dong, Director of the Infection Department at Beijing Youan Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, indicated that the current COVID-19 outbreak in China began in March and has been ongoing for nearly three months, with the peak expected to be reached by late May.
As the pandemic intensifies, questions arise about whether the recent surge in interest in COVID-19 is a trending topic in 2025. Contrary to popular belief, data from the China CDC’s monthly COVID-19 reports since December 2022 reveals that the country is currently facing its sixth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On May 19, Zhong Nanshan, in an interview with Guangzhou Daily, warned that the current wave of infections poses a certain risk for individuals over 65 years old with underlying health conditions. He suggested that the epidemic is still in the early stages of escalation.
Zhong Nanshan noted that the current outbreak shows minimal differences compared to previous ones, with similar early symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, sore throat, but with a more pronounced symptom of “hoarse voice” and increased coughing this time around.
Historical lessons remind people that when Chinese “experts” are forced to publicly acknowledge a new COVID-19 infection, it signifies a renewed outbreak that cannot be concealed any longer.
The current epidemic is ferocious. Reports from residents in various regions to overseas media reveal that the outbreak began a month before the Chinese New Year, causing a spike in sudden deaths from pneumonia, pulmonary edema, cardiovascular diseases, suspected to be caused by the (domestic) COVID-19 vaccines.
Mr. Hua, a villager from Tangshan, Hebei, lamented to the Epoch Times, “Hospitals are overcrowded now, like a market. People are dying in hospitals, and the crematoriums can’t keep up… it’s like doomsday.”
Ms. Liu from Tangshan commented, “There are quite a few sudden deaths, the crematorium must be very busy. Many people around me who got vaccinated ended up with cervical cancer, prostate cancer, or strokes. This situation is particularly prevalent, the vaccine is really harmful.”
Mr. Wang from Beijing added, “After getting vaccinated, even a previously very healthy individual with no underlying diseases becomes particularly vulnerable, as if they have no immune system.” He further stated that “I have always believed it is due to the vaccine. Young people who need to work are not allowed to go out, work, enter supermarkets without getting vaccinated, so basically all young people have received three shots, and after that, they inexplicably get recurrent flu-like symptoms and even pulmonary edema.”
The Chinese authorities have not publicly investigated the deadly consequences of domestic vaccines, but official data reveals significant developments:
– In January 2024, the Sinovac vaccine production was halted.
– In April, Yang Xiaoming, former Chief Engineer and Chief Scientist of China National Pharmaceutical Group, was dismissed from his position.
– On April 26, 2024, Yang Xiaoming was officially removed from his National People’s Congress representative duties on the grounds of “serious violation of discipline and law.”
The first inactivated COVID-19 vaccine to be rapidly marketed in China was developed under Yang Xiaoming’s leadership. He publicly claimed that “China only took 98 days to develop the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine.”
Yang Xiaoming conducted experiments on Chinese lives, promoted a vaccine leap forward, and gained fame, earning the title of “Father of Chinese Vaccines.”
In responsible and civilized countries, it typically takes over 10 years to develop a vaccine that meets market requirements, with the shortest timeframe being around five to six years.
On December 31, 2020, just six days after the Chinese State Council’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism’s conditional approval of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for marketing, on January 6, 2021, Shanghai vaccine expert Tao Lilin sarcastically labeled the Sinopharm vaccine as “the most unsafe vaccine in the world” on Weibo. He attached the Sinopharm vaccine’s leaflet, citing up to 73 side effects, including hypertension, visual decline, loss of taste, and urinary incontinence.
On January 12, 2021, both the chairman and general manager of China National Pharmaceutical Group and China National Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. resigned. This occurred less than half a month after the Chinese authorities approved the vaccine for market release, indicating the unease within the vaccine “experts” and companies.
However, Tao Lilin’s article was quickly deleted by the Chinese authorities.
Over the past few years, “influenza” has been the most frequently used excuse in various hospitals across China to cover up and deceive patients about the COVID-19 situation.
On December 23, 2020, before the launch of the domestic COVID-19 vaccine, the Chinese State Council’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism’s medical treatment group issued a notice to local health commissions titled “Technical Notice for the Treatment of Abnormal Reactions to COVID-19 Vaccination.” The epidemic prevention document was marked as “not for public disclosure.”
This move indicates that the top Chinese leadership was fully aware that domestic vaccines would cause severe adverse reactions.
Even now, while the vast majority of deaths in China remains underreported, the Chinese Communist Party continues to engage in falsification to maintain stability.
According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in the March 2025 “National Novel Coronavirus Infection Epidemic Situation” report released on April 21, a total of 56,286 new confirmed cases were reported by 31 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, including 131 severe cases and 7 deaths (due to underlying diseases combined with COVID-19 infection). The epidemic trend is fluctuating upwards, but overall remains relatively low.
In response to this, Dr. Jonathan Liu, a professor at the Canadian College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, raised serious doubts, stating that “based on the normal mortality rate, it is unlikely to be so low. Canada reported 1,915 cases of COVID-19 deaths from August last year to May this year, averaging over 200 deaths per month.”
He questioned heavily, “Canada is vast and sparsely populated, with better healthcare conditions. With China being so populous and the epidemic so severe, how could there be only 7 deaths per month? Is this data accurate?”
In contemporary Chinese society, people transition from facing a dire present to a difficult future, where even the truth becomes elusive, all thanks to the totalitarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party. To end this dire situation, the dissolution of the Chinese Communist Party is the only solution.
Despite the continued economic downturn in China and the withering of countless industries, the funeral industry stands out as a rare sector thriving.
On April 19, Mainland Joint Research Network published the “2025-2031 China Cemetery Service Industry Comprehensive Survey and Market Panorama Assessment Report,” analyzing the trends in China’s cemetery service industry for 2025. As green burials are gradually accepted, the market size is estimated to reach approximately 185.8 billion yuan, representing a 6.9% year-on-year growth.
The report claims that the information is sourced from annual reports of listed companies, manufacturer research, distributor discussions, expert validations, among other channels, ensuring accuracy and providing valuable insights for the cemetery service industry.
It is widely known that over the past few years since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Xi Jinping administration’s mandatory lockdowns and zero-tolerance policies led to the decline of various industries in mainland China, resulting in economic recession and significant deflation. The trade war initiated by the Trump administration further exacerbated China’s economic situation.
Despite the public tightening their purse strings, the ancient burial traditions, such as “the deceased is primary” and “the coffin determines everything, burial brings peace,” prevail in Chinese culture. To ensure that the departed are treated with dignity in their final moments, people spare no expense to arrange for their loved ones’ afterlife arrangements.
With a substantial number of deaths following the mainland China epidemic, a variety of funeral businesses have emerged, becoming a prominent industry in the midst of the economic decline.
After the authorities relaxed the strict control measures, the overwhelming number of deceased individuals caused urban crematoriums across the country to operate beyond capacity. As the demand for burying the deceased surged, various regions quietly introduced different forms of funeral arrangements.
Cremation, a practice enforced in partial regions by the Communist regime since 1985, even led to the complete elimination of traditional burials in cities. The crackdown on traditional burials at that time was justified by several reasons: strict adherence to protecting the country’s 1.8 billion mu of arable land, claiming that bodies slowly rot underground releasing methane and other gases, contaminating the soil where crops grow, and burial rituals in some areas were elaborate, lasting up to seven days from a person’s death.
In 2018, Xinhua reported on the Ministry of Civil Affairs’ introduction of the “Funeral Management Regulations (Draft Amendment for Solicitation of Opinions),” which promoted the burial of bodies in areas allowing traditional burials, advocating for deep burial without leaving tombstones.
Regions permitting traditional burials were encouraged to bury bodies in a deep and head-first position and avoid leaving tombstones to conserve space and protect the environment.
For those opting for alternative burial methods such as sea burials, tree burials, lawn burials, not occupying land or retaining ashes, counties and above-level governments can provide appropriate subsidies as incentives.
For years, the exorbitant prices of burial plots have been a longstanding issue in China. Urban residents often lament that burials are unaffordable. Yet, due to deep-rooted traditional beliefs, many refuse to settle for “thin burials” for their loved ones.
Faced with a dilemma of a surge in deceased individuals and scarce burial resources, authorities have endeavored to break the age-old tradition of “burial for peace” embraced by the Chinese people for thousands of years. They have introduced a plethora of funeral forms and incentives, coupled with media promotions, to mitigate the unavoidable challenges of funerary rites.
Authorities have urged Party members and cadres to lead a thrifty and proper funeral tradition, prioritizing cremation and eco-friendly burials, advocating for green, low-carbon memorial services, and leading a campaign for funeral reform.
Furthermore, they require national institutions, enterprises, and social organizations to support and promote funeral reforms, with media channels such as radio, television, newspapers, and the internet cooperating in disseminating such efforts.
In 2023, Chinese media reported that some funeral parlors in Beijing had introduced sea burial services, which were well-received, with bookings already made for 2025.
A report mentioned a funeral parlor in Shenyang City organizing hundreds of sea burials annually, and has also been fully booked recently.
The biggest attraction of sea burial services is the government’s sponsorship. In various cities such as Dalian, Harbin, Fuzhou, Guiyang, Tianjin, regulations encouraging sea burials have been introduced, providing free participation for local registered residents; opting for collective sea burials also includes subsidies ranging from 1,000 to 6,000 yuan.
According to the media, during the sea burial procedure led by operators, the ashes are not directly scattered into the sea as portrayed in films and television shows. Instead, they are placed in jars made of biodegradable materials, sunk to the seabed using ropes.
The subsequent memorial ceremony is divided into two types, one that incurs a fee: taking a boat to the area where the ash jars are placed, offering fresh flowers in remembrance; the other type involves online memorials at no cost.
Starting from 2010, the Beijing authorities have been promoting eco-friendly burials such as sea burials, tree burials, flower burials, deep burials, etc. They offer affordable small burial plots, three-dimensional burials, tree burials, flower burials, lawn burials, ranging from 2,000 to 9,800 yuan.
Lawn burials, introduced from the West, are aggressively promoted by the authorities as a “green burial” method, albeit at a high cost. In 2020, the starting prices for burial plots in Beijing were 89,000 yuan; while at the Jiugongshan Great Wall Memorial Forest, they were 26,800 yuan.
The price for less than a square meter of burial space has exceeded that of an average property. Despite this, operators claim that due to the limited area taken up by lawn burials and the prevalence of horizontal tombstones over traditional upright ones, lawn burials are much more affordable.