'Living funeral' activity exposes need for more openness about death

The annual Qingming festival in China known as "the tomb-sweeping rush" is a traditional holiday held in early spring in which the living commemorate the dead. Its overtly solemn nature often leaves people brooding over the unsurpassable chasm between life and death.

If that's not fresh enough, think about holding a funeral for yourself and experiencing the meaning of death while still alive. That's what happened in Wuhan, Hubei Province around the time of Qingming festival. Some students from Wuhan Social Work Professional College organized a special activity for citizens to experience death by holding mock memorial ceremonies in a public square.

"Previous troubles and frustrations are unimportant. … We should cherish every living day," said Zeng Jia, a student who initiated the farewell meeting by pretending herself to be dead.

Though controversial, many think it may serve as a form of life education that could help young people develop a deeper understanding of life and death.

A 'funeral' of rebirth

Titled "Looking at Life from Death," the activity in Wuhan allowed people to experience for a moment how death feels by lying in a coffin decorated with flowers. With coffin, undertakers, photographers, and mourners, the scene provided a lifelike experience.

To start the "funeral," a mini movie of Zeng, a sophomore majoring in funeral technology and management, was screened to reflect her "whole" life from birth to college. Then her classmates went forward to share their precious memories of Zeng.

Next, the undertakers saluted the "dead" Zeng as she lay in the coffin: they made her look neat, and presented objects she was to be buried with. As the host read the funeral oration, her friends and relatives stood in silent tribute and bowed, then they walked around the coffin to have one last look at her, following the exact procedure of a real funeral.

Talking about the farewell party, Zeng told reporters that she personally realized the fragility and uncertainty of life when a relative dies suddenly several years ago. Her idea behind a living funeral was to sense life by experiencing death.

Zeng said her mind went blank while lying in the coffin, but she almost burst into tears when opening her eyes, feeling the world had changed. "It's so good to be alive," she said, stressing that the funeral gave her a more positive outlook on life.

As reported, 12 others followed Zeng's example. "The moment I lied in the coffin, I felt sudden enlightenment. I will be optimistic about life and stop getting all tangled up by trivial things," a citizen surnamed Ma reportedly said after the experience.

Controversial move

It is an open secret that in China, "death" is a word that few like to utter in daily life. The topic itself and anything related to it is taboo. So naturally, the activity by Zeng and her classmates aroused much controversy.

"It's bad luck!" many netizens exclaimed on Weibo. In the procedure, each participant is treated as a dead body. Some spectators found it unacceptable. Zeng reportedly tried to prepare her parents, but they still felt bad after seeing the "memorial photo" displayed at her "funeral."

Others thought it was insincere to treat death this way, saying it was like performance art. "It is better to use the money to help those struggling on the line between life and death," a netizen wrote on Weibo, "that's not the right way to experience the meaning of life."

But in fact, occasionally there have been similar activities across China in the past to shock the public. In November last year, an NGO and volunteers from Huazhong Agricultural University held an "Experience Life" activity at the college. Those who experienced "death" there said they would cherish today more and be happier.

In Shenyang, Liaoning Province, a psychology clinic has used a coffin for several years to allow people to "be a dead one." It uses death as a mirror to look at life. About 1,000 visitors have "experienced death" in three years.

"It may have some positive results, but one cannot really see the true meaning of life through that," Lin Kunhui, an expert in psychotherapy from Taiwan, told the Global Times in a phone interview. "Going to a hospital's terminal ward would prove more useful."

Life education

Meanwhile, some point out that the appearance of such activities indicates that China lacks life education. Statistics show suicide has become the No.1 cause of death for Chinese people between 15 and 34. Many young people choose death before really understanding what it means.

Also, the number of teenagers committing crimes has been growing along with the suicide rate. These facts indicate an urgent need to spread life education that can help young people develop more respect for life.

"Life education is an important link to intervening in a crisis like suicide," Lin said, calling for more systematic life education in China.

A concept that originated in the US, life education first appeared as death education, which aims to help children form a correct understanding of life and death and treat life correctly through talking about the end of life.

Lin Oi-chu, chief executive of Hong Kong Aids Foundation once said that death education and life education are like two legs of one person. "Young people should accept death education in time to form a correct idea of life, disease and death, so that they will respect and cherish life more."

While death education has become part of a normal curriculum in countries like the US and Japan, it is practically unheard of in China. Even though there are life education classes at primary and middle schools, they are mainly about life and how to survive: few include death.

The situation is similar in family education. Due to traditional taboos, few parents take the initiative to talk about death with their children. While the tomb-sweeping festival is a good chance to educate children about death, many parents find they are in a dilemma - should they tell the truth or avoid it with fairy tales? 

"Death education is like sex education. It needs scientific guidance. Only when you tell him the truth can he understand related topics better," Zou Yuhua, author of the book Death Education once told media. He regarded parents' passive attitude as unfavorable to children's development.

Lin suggested parents start with the death of animals to tell their children the meaning of eternal farewell. "It needs joint efforts from school and family, government and society."

Global Times