Richly-expensive: why Chinese residential townhouses in cemetery (photo)
Afterlife with amenities.
Upstairs
The Chinese believe in an afterlife, and therefore, if possible, try to provide their deceased relatives with everything necessary. Sometimes the dead try to please so much that it becomes creepy.
View this post in Instagram
A great example of this unusual Chinese cemetery in the Philippines capital Manila. It appeared during the Spanish colonization, when the Spaniards were forbidden to bury non-Christians in the Catholic cemetery, and contributed to the Chinese community a piece of land.
View this post in Instagram
First, they had built the usual crypts, but eventually the cemetery was turned into some kind of elite area with huge mansions, small courtyards and wide streets. Wealthy Chinese wanted to pay tribute to deceased relatives that built them cottages with all amenities, including kitchen, toilet, electricity and hot water.
View this post in Instagram
Here often visited the relatives of the dead and sometimes carried out near the grave for several days. Some even move in here. Now the cemetery has not so busy: some crypts and mansions are empty, others are rented to families who are caring for the grave of a deceased person. Fancy a VIP cemetery became so remarkable, that here now, giving tours, and local authorities took up its reconstruction and extension.
View this post in Instagram
However, in addition to the rich houses of the crypts there are graves of ordinary Chinese middle class, and small cell rooms, where the ashes very poor. In the cemetery there are two active churches and the crematorium.
View this post in Instagram
See also:
- How does the Holy Hill of crosses in Lithuania (photo)
- How much space in the cemeteries of Moscow?