Young intellectuals who aided development of remote areas honored
A group burial and memorial ceremony took place at the Hai Wan Yuan Cemetery in Fengxian District over the weekend before dongzhi, the winter solstice.
The urns of seven Shanghai zhiqing, or young intellectual who was sent to aid the development of remote areas in the 1960s and 70s, was interred. About 200 people including officials from the Fengxian District government and Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau, and their families attended.
Fifteen needy zhiqing families received financial support from the Shanghai Zhiqing Care Foundation during the ceremony.
The foundation, established by the Hai Wan Yuan Cemetery, has helped nearly 1,000 zhiqing families with financial difficulties.
Zhiqing devoted their youth to work in the remote countryside and many chose eco-friendly and land-saving burials, the tomb operator said.
Biodegradable urns were buried under flower beds which will decompose within months.
Eco-friendly burials have been promoted intensively in Shanghai in recent years to reduce the demand for land.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of zhiqing square at the cemetery.
Dongzhi, which falls on December 21 this year, likes Qingming Festival as a time for Chinese to pay respects to their ancestors.