Cremated remains cannot be kept in vacant “bone ash apartments” in China.

Instead of paying for pricey burial plots, the Chinese government is going to forbid individuals from keeping their loved ones’ cremated ashes in vacant apartments.  The “bone ash apartments” that have become more popular as cemetery sites continue to be limited will be eliminated under the new rule.

Because of the low cost of real estate in the nation, many people find that burying a relative’s ashes in a vacant apartment is more cost-effective than paying for a burial. Both the usage of residential premises “specifically for the placement of ashes” and the interment of remains outside of cemeteries and locations where ecological burial is permitted are forbidden by the law.

Bone ash apartments are vacant buildings that the deceased’s relatives transform into ceremonial spaces. The area is transformed into an ancestral shrine by placing their loved one’s ashes inside. According to Chinese media, the flats are frequently distinguished by sealed-off windows or closed curtains.

Mourners are taking advantage of China’s recent decline in real estate prices, which were 40% lower in 2025 than they were in 2021. Cemetery spaces, on the other hand, are restricted and only have a short-term lease that needs to be renewed every 20 years.According to its website, a burial plot at Beijing’s Changping Tianshou Cemetery costs between 10,000 yuan (£1,095) and 200,000 yuan (£21,917).

“Eco-friendly burial plots” are the less expensive options. The website states that the cost of a typical tombstone plot in Beijing is “relatively high” at 300,000 yuan (£32,841), with prices starting at roughly 150,000 yuan (£16,400).

Funerals are also expensive. According to a survey conducted in 2020 by the British insurance company SunLife, funeral expenses accounted for almost half of the nation’s average yearly earnings.  Commenters on social media have questioned how the new law will be controlled and brought up the price of cemetery plots. “Who would resort to this if cemetery plots were affordable?” someone asked on Weibo, China’s version of X.

Another said: “How will those enforcing these rules know if the apartments are being used just to store ashes? And how will they deal with those cases?”

Days before the Qingming Festival, also called Tomb Sweeping Day, when people clean their loved ones’ graves and make ceremonial offerings, there is a ban. In response to worries about excessive prices, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the State Administration for Market Regulation announced new regulations for the funeral sector on Tuesday.  It stated that it would “reduce the burden of funerals on the masses” by enacting new regulations to combat fraud and opaque funeral costs.