中國網站品牌欄目（頻道）
Forty Beijing families said goodbye to their loved ones on Friday as their ashes were scattered into the waters of the Bohai Sea, off Tanggu, in Tianjin.
The latest burials at sea brought the number of Beijing families to choose sea burials since 1994 to 5,830.
Such burials are being encouraged by the authorities as an environment-friendly alternative to the city's overcrowded cemeteries.
About 94 people took part in Friday's vigil.
They all left together in two buses at 6 am for the trip that was sponsored by the municipal government. Free sea burials have been an option since 2009.
"The free service is currently only available to people with a Beijing hukou. Two family members are invited to the ceremony," said Wang Yunbin, manager of the Funeral Management Company, which is part of the Beijing Funeral Association (BFA).
BFA is the only organization offering sea burials in the capital. Before 2009, such burials cost 380 yuan.
Wang said about 70,000 people die in Beijing each year. A total of 481 families chose sea burials last year, which was double the number in 2008.
"A total of 5,830 people have been buried at sea since 1994, which has saved 20,000 sq m of land in Beijing," he said.
Yu Lianjie's mother passed away 19 years ago and her ashes had been stored at a cemetery in Shijingshan district until early 2009, when the cemetery was closed.
"We registered to have a sea burial ceremony for my mother last April while my father was still with us," Yu said. "At the end of 2009, my father passed away. The organizers were very caring and allowed us to hold the ceremony for both of my parents together."
Yu said many of her family's friends and colleagues are also thinking about sea burials.
"We believe that human beings are from nature, so we should return to nature after we die," she added.
She put petals into her parents' ash boxes and poured them together into the sea through a pipe at one end of the boat.
"Mom and dad, may you rest in peace," Yu said through tears.
Questions:
1 How many people have been buried at sea since 1994?
2 Who is eligible for free sea burials?
3 What is the reason for sea burials?
Answers:
1. 5,830.
2. Available to people with a Beijing hukou.
3. Such burials are being encouraged by the authorities as an environment-friendly alternative to the city's overcrowded cemeteries.
（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is fluent in Korean and has a 2-year-old son.
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