Sea burial group pays tribute to loved ones

"The sea is the tomb of my father and his 'tombstone' engraves the deep love of my mother and is an everlasting lighthouse illuminating the way of his children," said a tearful Hu Yutong.

He was attending a sea burial group memorial ceremony in suburban Fengxian District over the weekend.

Several hundred family members of the dead whose ashes were scattered at sea gathered at Binhaiguyuan Cemetery before this year's Qingming Festival to pay tribute to their beloved ones in a solemn way.

The whole area were paved with flowers, and attendees dropped letters bearing their love into a glass jar. Amid soft violin music, a wreath was laid onto a wooden ship's rudder, symbolizing the ship would sail into the deep sea.

People bowed to pay tribute to all the deceased whose ashes have been scattered into sea since 1991.

"My father studied underwater weapons and the sea was an indispensable part in his life," said Hu. "Resting in the sea was his lifetime wish."

Sea burial is gradually gaining acceptance among the public, said the city's civil affairs authorities who have been promoting the eco-friendly burial for years.

Since 1991, there have been 833 sea burials with 71,527 urns of ash scattered at sea.

"We believe sea burial is the best burial way as we don't want to bother others," said an attendee surnamed Shi whose husband was "buried in sea."

"People's burial concept is changing with times."

Since 2008, the sea burial group memorial ceremony has been held at the ceremony every March, providing a platform for people to remember their beloved ones whose names are all engraved on gravestones.