China’s anti-corruption squads target funeral officials making a killing from the dead

Multiple funeral parlours have come under investigation in a state-run industry with a reputation for opaque pricing

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An eco-friendly collective funeral ceremony takes place in China, where traditional burials are banned and the funeral industry is fertile ground for corruption. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 12:00pm, 6 Aug 2024

China’s state-run funeral industry has become a fresh target for the country’s anti-corruption investigators, with a string of cases across the country in recent months.

In the latest case, Communist Party disciplinary investigators in Huainan, Anhui province, announced on Friday that they had detained Zhang Duo, from the Panji district funeral home for “suspected of serious violations of discipline and law”.

The watchdog did not elaborate on Zhang’s alleged offences but the phrase is a euphemism for corruption.

Most of China’s funeral parlours are managed under the direct supervision of civil affairs authorities, and are monopolies with a reputation for opaque pricing and substandard services – which in turn is fertile ground for corruption.

Zhang’s detention came three months after disciplinary authorities in the neighbouring city of Wuhu launched corruption investigations into Jiang Junsheng, the director of its municipal funeral service administrative office, as well as into Jiang’s deputy, Ren Yongsheng, according to Shanghai-based online news portal The Paper.

Staff at the municipal funeral centre in Benxi, in the northeastern province of Liaoning, were also the targets of disciplinary action in May, after customers accused them of asking for illegal tips, according to a report by provincial party mouthpiece Liaoning Daily last month.

Across the border in Jilin province, Lu Wanjun, former party secretary and director of the Huinan county funeral home, was stripped of party membership and job in May for charging families for services that were never provided. Lu was handed over to criminal prosecutors and will face trial.