Tens of thousands of pots of flowers form the word "faith" on the steps in front of the Yuhuatai Revolutionary Martyrs Monument in Nanjing, East China’s Jiangsu Province on September 29, 2022, in memory of the revolutionary martyrs ahead of Martyrs' Day. (Drone photo) Photo: VCG

A set of revised rules regulating the work of martyrs' burial will come into force on Wednesday.

Efforts have been made to address issues such as the lack of standard procedures for welcoming and burying martyrs and difficulties in mourning and commemorating missing martyrs. Detailed regulations have been made on the guidelines, ritual links, and service management of martyrs' burials.

Over the past few years, China has intensified efforts to protect the reputations of heroes and martyrs by punishing behavior that denigrates the country's fallen heroes. While strengthening punishments, courts nationwide have also stepped up efforts to implement compensation policies for families of heroes and martyrs and provide services to protect their memorial facilities.

At the same time, the revised measures attach great importance to policy integration, and in particular effective coordination with the policies relating to the collection and burial of wartime martyrs and the repatriation and burial of the remains of overseas martyrs to provide a well-structured and complete procedure and institutional guarantee for burial.

The major revisions include adjusting the department in charge of the burial of martyrs from the civil affairs department to the department in charge of veterans' work, improving the welcome ceremony and burial ceremony of martyrs, increasing the search and excavation of the remains of martyrs, and expanding the channels for missing martyrs or those who are buried overseas.

Netizens expressed support and expectations for the implementation of the new rules, with one saying: "Hopefully, the new regulations will provide the best conditions for martyrs and let more people learn from their spirit."

Global Times