Feature: Tree burial - new alternative to bury deceased in Macao

Tuesday marks this year's Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, in Macao as well as in other parts of China.

In the densely populated special administrative region, citizens now have a new alternative to bury their deceased family members.

In Sa Kong Municipal Cemetery, Taipa District, Macao's civil affairs authorities set up a memorial garden to provide tree burial service for those who are ready to let their beloved ones merge into nature.

"It is a new way. Frankly speaking, not every one can accept this idea, but we have 56 completed services for now, and more people visit here for consideration," said Leong Kunfong, a member of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (CMAB) Administration Committee which is in charge of Macao's tree burial service.

The tree burial garden has five Indonesian cinnamons in its center, with some other smaller plants grown under the canopies.

Around the cinnamons, over 440 slots on the ground are arranged in four lines to bury bone ash.

According to CMAB's service procedure, all applicants will bring their deceased family members' bone ash to the garden after cremation.

After the ritual is completed, the bone ash will be kept in a paper bag and put into a vacant slot.

A square tile will be put above to seal the slot, then covered by stones and soil.

The names of the deceased will be carved on a memorial wall inside the garden.

"The bone ash will be degraded in two years and the garden can provide slots to other people on and on, so it is eco-friendly and saves land and space," Leong said.

"More importantly, the trees become a symbol of the deceased and connect them with those who are still alive."

According to him, the garden chose Indonesian cinnamon for its Chinese name "Yin Xiang" which has special meaning in Chinese context.

In Chinese, "Yin" means afterlife, "Xiang" means fragrance.

"The tree stands for a good wish that even someone passes away, his or her virtue will bless their offspring like cinnamon's everlasting fragrance," Leong explained.

Zhou Qingyi came here to see her deceased mother, who received tree burial service at the beginning of this year.

"My mother is a very quiet person, I think she must like this place full of trees and flowers," she said, picking up a fallen cinnamon leaf from the ground.

To treasure the good memory with her mother, she chose tree burial as it means much more to her than an ordinary tomb or grave.

"I love her very much, and when I come here, I feel a part of her is still there inside those lively trees. I can talk to the trees as if I can talk to her," Zhou said, while holding that leaf tight and smelling the fragrance from time to time.

According to Macao's latest census, there are over 650,000 people live in a land area of just about 30 square kilometers.

As one of the most densely populated region in the world, grave burial is apparently unsustainable.

CMAB also plans to develop another piece of land in Sa Kong Municipal Cemetery into a similar garden for flower burial service in the future, which can hold around 500 slots. Endit