Cemetery Accused of Taking Status to the Grave

A cemetery in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province was accused online of zoning plots based on the dead’s status in life, such as “officials’ zone” and “Chinese who have returned from overseas.” The news got people snickering on social media, where some joked that social strata and income gaps keep widening in China even in death. The cemetery denied the accusation, explaining that they had sold many graves to officials because officials were encouraged to choose cremation at a time when it was unpopular in China and the signs were there to direct visitors. However, the cemetery has removed all of the signage in response to the controversy. This did not deter netizens from taking more jabs, with some posting that the cemetery should have a special area for corrupt officials as a reminder to their descendants.