Funeral homes in China’s major cities are charging exorbitant fees for services their clients don’t know about, prompting some in Beijing to expose this “unscrupulous” practice to the media.
A Beijing resident surnamed Deng (pseudonym) told Chinese state media that his wife passed away in mid-February. Her body was kept in the mortuary of the Third Hospital of Peking University for two and half days before the cremation. Deng and his family were shocked when they received the bill from the hospital.
The person in charge of the mortuary explained to Deng that he was being billed for 28 various service fees, including 5,990 yuan (about $920) for bathing and spa services, 6,800 yuan (about $1,050) for the burial garment, 2,980 yuan (about $460) for urns, up to 10,720 yuan ($1,650) for five flower-related services, plus a long list of other miscellaneous expenses.
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