One of three flower terrace burial sites in Xiamen.

After first being introduced in 2006, only a fraction of people have opted for eco-friendly burials for their deceased relatives and the new practice has not been widely adopted by local residents in Xiamen, Fujian province.

Tradition in China dictates that there is no other way to insure that deceased relatives will rest in peace or be reborn into their next life than by a burial.

Amid concerns about China’s huge population and graveyard land shortages, the younger generation has started to embrace more eco-friendly interment practices such as cremation.

According to local authorities, 191 people have requested grass burials over the last 10 years, while only one person has opted for a tree burial and only three have chosen to have a flower terrace burial.

“We offer an area of 0.5 square meters for each person who is willing to be buried under lawns which is much smaller than a conventional tomb and of course, more environmental friendly,” said Chen Jialan, the vice manager of Xiamen Anle graveyard.

Moreover, the eco-burial, at a price of between 1,000 yuan to 2,000 yuan ($323), is much cheaper than conventional funerals which can cost more than 20,000 yuan.

“We are working hard on improving our eco-burial services and products. For instance, we are planning to introduce an eco-friendly cremation urn which can degrade without any pollution in 3-6 months and costs merely 200 to 300 yuan,” said Yin Chengyong, the service manager of a graveyard in Xiamen’s Haicang district.

By Liu Xiaoyu from China Daily Fujian Bureau