Why are Chinese officials resorting to grave robbing for cremation quotas?

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Chinese Officials Turn to Grave Robbing to Meet Cremation Quotas Amidst Policy Push

Two officials in Guangdong province resorted to purchasing corpses from grave robbers to fulfill government-mandated cremation quotas. These officials, identified as He and Dong, were reportedly responsible for implementing funeral management reforms within their jurisdictions. The scheme involved buying bodies to be cremated, thereby artificially inflating cremation numbers to meet targets.
Government Push for Cremation Policies

The Chinese government has been actively promoting cremation as a means to conserve land resources, which are crucial for agricultural purposes and broader development initiatives. This policy shift aims to address concerns over land scarcity in densely populated areas. However, traditional burial practices, deeply rooted in ancestor worship and beliefs concerning the afterlife, are prevalent across China, leading to significant public opposition against mandatory cremation.
Local Pressure and Circumvention of Regulations

In the specific towns where officials He and Dong worked, authorities had imposed minimum cremation targets. Faced with this pressure, and observing that residents were increasingly opting for secret burials to circumvent the regulations, the officials sought a clandestine solution. Their plan was to acquire bodies through illicit means and deliver them to a funeral parlor for cremation to satisfy the imposed quotas.
Public Opposition and Extreme Reactions

China's campaign to increase cremation rates has encountered widespread resistance. The drive has been met with considerable public disapproval, highlighting a cultural clash between traditional customs and modern policy objectives. Reports have emerged of extreme reactions to these burial policies, such as instances in Anhui province where elderly individuals reportedly committed suicide to avoid being subjected to new regulations banning coffin burials. Furthermore, large-scale campaigns to exhume graves for land reclamation, like the demolition of 400,000 graves in Henan province in 2012, have also provoked national outcry, underscoring the sensitivity of the issue.

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Why are Chinese officials resorting to grave robbing for cremation quotas?

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