China Bans Ashes Storage in Empty Apartments

Chinese authorities have implemented a nationwide ban on using empty residential apartments to store cremated human remains, a practice known as "bone ash apartments" that had surged in popularity amid soaring funeral costs and a slumping housing market. The regulations, which took effect this week, require that ashes be interred only in designated public cemeteries, coming just days before the Qingming Festival, when families traditionally honor ancestors by cleaning graves and making offerings.

The ban addresses a trend where families converted vacant units in underoccupied high-rise complexes into makeshift ancestral shrines, often featuring urns, candles, and portraits of the deceased. These setups were typically identifiable by sealed windows or drawn curtains to maintain privacy. Local reports describe one resident peering into such an apartment and seeing two candlesticks flanking a black box and a black-and-white photo, a common memorial arrangement in China.

The practice emerged as an affordable alternative to traditional burials, driven by limited cemetery space and escalating expenses. Public cemetery plots require 20-year leases that must be renewed, while funerals...