China city uses dissolvable urns for green burial

 　　TIANJIN, April 4 (Xinhua) -- People in a north China city have been offered a new way to go green -- put the ashes of their loved ones in dissolvable urns¹ and bury them in the soil or in the pond.

　　That is a far cry from the tradition land burial, which at least involves a plot of land, a tombstone, a vegetation-covered mound² behind the tombstone, and a platform in the front for the display of offerings.

　　Authorities want to promote the eco-friendly funeral so much that they offer it free at Yong'an Cemetery³ in Tianjian, a municipality south of Beijing. On Wednesday, the Qingming Festival or Tomb Sweeping⁴ Day, 100 families attended the mass funeral to have their loved ones buried here.

　　The burial site of Yong'an is basically a 400-square-meter lawn and a 200-square-meter pond. The urns are made of biological materials that can easily dissolve in soil three to six months after burial, said Tan Yun, manager of the cemetery.

　　"There is no pollution and the deceased can completely 'melt into' the Mother Nature," Tan said, adding that more than 1,000 people have been laid to rest in peace in the cemetery.

　　But, just as other green burial methods -- sea burial or tree burial -- the idea still remains⁵ controversial as some families hesitate to rest the deceased relatives without tombs and even without a single mark.

　　Many Chinese families are typically willing to shell out for the funeral, buying expensive cinerary caskets, picking location with best Feng Shui, and paying for elaborate funeral proceedings⁶ to show their respect.

　　But the ballooning funeral cost has forced some families to reconsider whether it is worth the money.

　　"Only 15 families came to us when we first opened." Tan said. "But more and more people are accepting this new concept now, especially among the better educated people."?

1 urns   

n.壶( urn的名词复数 )；瓮；缸；骨灰瓮

参考例句：

• Wine utensils unearthed include jars, urns, pots, bowls and cups. 发掘出的酒器皿有瓶、瓮、罐、壶、碗和杯子。 来自互联网
• Ernie yearned to learn to turn urns. 呕尼渴望学会转咖啡壶。 来自互联网

2 mound   

n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫

参考例句：

• The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。
• The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。

3 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

4 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼