▲ A scene from the China Funeral Association 2019 Funeral Work Exchange Conference
Contributed by Bao Ying, Zhu Jieyu from Funeral Weekly of China Social News
On September 21, China Funeral Association 2019 Funeral Work Exchange Conference was held in Shizuishan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, featuring the theme of green funeral and green development of funeral home. Li Jianhua, President of China Funeral Association, Fang Zhongquan, Deputy Director of Civil Affairs Department of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Li Guangyun, Deputy Mayor of Shizuishan, attended the meeting. Wang Hongjie, Consultant of China Funeral Association and director of the Funeral Service Committee gave a speech on the Keynote of the Funeral Service and the Green Development of Funeral Home. Li Zhigui, President of Ningxia Funeral Association also delivered a speech. Zhou Jingbo, Vice President of China Funeral Association, made a closing speech. More than 500 representatives from the funeral industry and relevant civil affair departments from 29 provinces /municipalities/autonomous regions attended the conference.
▲Li Jianhua, President of China Funeral Association, was delivering a speech
▲Li Zhigui, Chairman of Funeral Association of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, was delivering a speech
Li Jianhua said that since the 18th National Party Congress, the state has attached great importance to the construction of ecological civilization and has included it into the overall layout of Five in One with efforts to promote it. The concept of green development has been further deepened and upgraded. In recent years, funeral work has played an important role in optimizing the urban environment, creating beautiful villages, improving people's livelihood, and strengthening basic public services. The funeral industry has also been continuously transformed and upgraded in the process of reform, from the previous practice of promoting cremation and reforming earth burial method, to the present burial method that occupy little or no land, consumes less resources, and uses less non-degradable materials. This has gradually changed the previous practice of relying on resource consumption, stressing the traditional way of material carriers, which forms a trend of focusing on spiritual inheritance and commemoration. According to their respective situations, all areas have made efforts in realizing money-saving funeral, ecological burial and civilized sacrifices. The policy of money-saving funeral has been gradually expanding coverage, increasing items, raising standards year by year, aiming to minimize the financial burden of the people, and encourage them to adopt land-saving and ecological burial methods, as well as civilized sacrifice patterns. It is hoped that the customs will be changed to ensure the funeral activities will promote the harmonious development between man and nature.
President Li said that the funeral industry should focus on implementing the concept of green funeral, promoting industry development, promoting industry reform, and solving problems in the industry. “Green" is the requirement of the reform, aiming both to cure the symptoms and to cure the roots; "green" is the starting point of the reform, it should only reach the basic target but also make improvement; "green" is the driving force for reform, which requires both comprehensive consideration and cross-area thinking; "green" is the window of reform, so it should be open while needing guidance. It is necessary to profoundly understand the meaning of "turn the blade inward", to grasp the helm of the reform, starting from the weak links of the organization, to promote the quality reform, efficiency reform and driver reform of the industry; to continuously consolidate the achievements of the remediation actions, to be constantly aware of the problems in the industry, be sure the problem does not rebound or deteriorate. Service is the foundation of the development of the funeral industry. It is necessary to make up the short service board, bear in mind the main contradiction between funeral services and social development, and the needs of the people; strengthen infrastructure construction in the social public service sectors; strike a balance between basic services and non-essential services, providing satisfactory needs to the people while restraining from extravagance, demonstrating the spiritual values of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and inheriting the fine traditional Chinese culture. The funeral industry should open its doors and maintain an open attitude so that people can truly understand our work, change their misunderstanding on the industry; the funeral service companies must enter the society, enter the community, utilize the public culture communication methods to promote life and culture education, promote correct values on life and death, and the positive energy of the industry, so people will view the industry and death rationally, calmly and correctly.
▲ Wang Hongjie, Consultant of China Funeral Association and Director of Funeral Service Working Committee, delivered a keynote speech entitled The Keynote of the Funeral Service and the Green Development of Funeral Home
▲ China Funeral Association 2019 Funeral Work Exchange Conference
Wang Hongjie said that the Keynote for the current Chinese funeral industry is public welfare, green, humanism, civilization and norms. (1) Public welfare. It means that the burial should demonstrate its public welfare attributes, forming a supply pattern that takes public welfare as the main target, market need as the supplementation, and ecological land-saving as the direction. That public welfare is the main body does not exclude the complementary status and positive role of the market adjustment. However, some operators do not act according to market rules, and they use unscrupulous means to profit. As a result, the market is blame incorrectly. Due to the particularity of the funeral market, it is suggested the operators pursue profits morally and refrain from profiting in a radical way. (2) Green. It means green funeral, and the focus is on promoting harmony between funeral industry and the environment. Instead of bringing hidden threats to the living environment for our offspring, the funeral industry should contribute to improving the green mountains and green waters. To promote green funeral, the funeral management institutions and business service agencies should take the social responsibilities the three stages of funeral, burial and sacrifice. (3) People-oriented. To be people-oriented, we should pay attention to the deceased, the bereaved, and the funeral staff. The funeral staff need to have unselfish, loving attitude, and practise what he/she knows. The funeral staff have an empathic and merciful heart as the basic work ethic. To promote the people-oriented service culture, we should promote and nurture the staff, ensuring their service demonstrates humanistic care. (4) Civilization. It means civilized funeral practice. It is necessary to inherit the excellent traditional culture, but also to abandon the dross in traditional culture and to keep pace with the times. The industry should be aware the difficulties to promote civilized funeral practice, and should not ignore the reality that in many places the funeral services are kidnapped by unscrupulous Taoist priests, geomancer, and the so called one-stop service. It is a heavy burden for the residents in some rural areas, who are inflicted by the old traditions, relationships and peer-pressures regarding burial. (5) Regulation. It means regulating the behaviour of the funeral market. Behind the chaos in the funeral market there lie the realities of lack of law, weak regulation, weak self-discipline of operators, overly profit-oriented attitude, low entry barriers, poor industry transparency, and low cost of non-compliance. Mr. Wang analysed that the green development of the funeral home is closely related to the keynote of the funeral industry, that is, to provide quality, efficient and convenient mourning services with the goal of efficiency, harmony and sustainability, to create a low-carbon, ecological, harmonious, healthy and orderly environment for funeral practice, raise the public's satisfaction on funeral industry, and make the green development of the funeral home an integral and organic part of the green development of the whole society.
▲ Zhou Jingbo, vice president of China Funeral Association, made a closing speech
Exchange Speeches
▲ Zhou Xuemei, researcher of the 101 Research Institute of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, “The Sanitary Status of Funeral Homes and Countermeasures”
▲Li Zhiping, Chairman of Jiangxi Southwest Environmental Protection Machinery Manufacturing Corporation, "The Hazard of the Burning Smoke and Dust Generated in Cremation of Body and Funeral Supplies and Reduction Approach"
▲Chi Xiping, General Manager of Zhejiang Lvjun Hengye Industrial Development Co., Ltd., “’The Life of the City’——On the Green Design of Funeral Home”
▲ Li Haijun, General Manager of Jinan Jinmin Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., “Intelligent Management, Safety and Efficient Operation of Funeral Homes”
▲ Yang Junli, Party Secretary and Chief of Yinchuan Civil Affairs Bureau, “Exploration and Practice of Promoting Green Funeral in Yinchuan City”
At the conference, Zhou Xuemei, researcher of the 101 Research Institute of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Li Zhiping, Chairman of Jiangxi Southwest Environmental Protection Machinery Manufacturing Corporation, Chi Xiping, General Manager of Zhejiang Lvjun Hengye Industrial Development Co., Ltd., and Li Haijun, General Manager of Jinan Jinmin Electronic Technology Co., Ltd, together with other experts in funeral research institutions and practice areas, exchanged their views on the status quo and countermeasures of the sanitary condition of funeral home, the green design of funeral home, the hazards and countermeasures of the cremation of human remains, the intelligent management of funeral home and the safe and efficient operation. Yang Junli, Party Secretary and Chief of Yinchuan Civil Affairs Bureau, Cao Lijuan, Party Secretary and Director of Beijing Babaoshan Funeral Home, Li Jun, Director of Shanghai Baoxing Funeral Home, Wu Xucai, Director of Lianhuashan Funeral Home in Jinan, and Li Yuling, Director of Mudanjiang Second Funeral Home, shared their practice experience, innovative exploration and unique thinking regarding green funeral and funeral home green.
▲Cao Lijuan, Party Secretary and Director of Beijing Babaoshan Funeral Home, “Public Welfare Practice-Green Development, Ecological Civilization-Singing the Theme of New Era Funeral Reform Service”
▲ Li Jun, Director of Shanghai Baoxing Funeral Home, “Four Key Words for Green Development of Baoxing Funeral Home: Environmental Protection, Health, Efficiency, Safety”
▲ Wu Xucai, Director of the Lianhuashan Funeral Home in Jinan, “Green Development, the Unremitting Pursuit of Lianhua Mountain”
▲ Li Yuling, Director of Mudanjiang Second Funeral Home, “The New Move under the New Situation – Put an End to “Burning Big Papers” and Restore the Green Environment of the Funeral Home”
The conference also set up a platform for supply and demand exchange between funeral homes and funeral equipment manufacturers. Eleven companies released their green products. These products feature environmental protection technology for cremators, green coffin, and green sacrifice software, the disinfection device for hearse, the sewage solidification agent for remains disposal, the application of flowers in the funeral home and subsequent treatment, the air purification device for funeral home, and the rapid modelling technology of 3D printing.
Green Product Release
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Issued by: Jin Zhiping, from Weihai Hangtai Environmental Protection Equipment Co., Ltd.
Released product: intelligent green technology for cremator
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Issued by: Wu Jiangbo, Shanxi Linyi Lacquerware Technology Co., Ltd.
Released product: environment-friendly paulownia wood coffin
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Issued by: Wu Jinna, Zhigui (Shanghai) Ceremony Service Co., Ltd.
Released product: portable ascites curing agent
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Released by: Shanghai Anshan Culture Development Co., Ltd.
Released product: Life gems
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Released by: Xu Renxiang, from the Cooperative Studio by Shanghai Funeral Service Centre and Shanghai Xuanlin Information Technology Co., Ltd.
Released product: rapid modelling technology of 3D printing
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Issued by: Pan Sufang, Suzhou Kangxi Medical Purification Equipment Co., Ltd.
Released products: all-intelligent body disinfection clean room, multi-function air disinfection machine
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Released by: Liang Liang, Zhejiang Haifeng Flower Co., Ltd.
Released product: funeral flower product system
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Issued by: Ta La, Jiangxi Southwest Environmental Protection Machinery Manufacturing Corporation
Released product: YQ-Eurasian IoT Intelligent Cremator
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Released by: Wu Hao, Beijing Dulan Technology Co., Ltd.
Released products: All-in-one sterilizer and air purification sterilizer
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Issued by: Deng Zhenpeng, Jiangxi Jinqiao Environmental Protection Machinery Co., Ltd.
Released products: cremators (belongings) and flue gas purification treatment equipment
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Issued by: Chen Liangyu, Fushouyuan Environmental Protection Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Released product: Jiesheng intelligent environmental cremation machine
Hosts
▲Generous host: Dong Ziyi, National Excellent Staff, famous host from Beijing Babaoshan Funeral Home
▲ Opening ceremony host: Zhang Jinjun, Zhangjiakou City Funeral Management Office
▲ Exchange conference speaker and product release moderator: Yu Zhongming, Deputy Director of Shanghai Funeral Service Centre (Acting Director)
▲Exchange speaker and product release moderator: Zhou Suqin, Director of Yinchuan City Funeral Home
▲ Exchange speaker and product release moderator: Zhang Lifen, Deputy Director of Shanghai Funeral Service Centre, Director of Shanghai Longhua Funeral Home
▲ Green Product On-site Popularity Survey Moderator: Li Peng, Deputy Secretary General of Funeral Services Working Committee, China Funeral Association
▲ Closing Moderator: Xuan Riping, Director of Dongtai City Funeral Home
Awarding Memorial Cup
Attendants Taking a Group Photo
Outdoor View
