Increasing numbers of residents in Taiyuan, the capital city of Shanxi province, have been adopting ecofriendly ways to remember the dead during the annual period to honor deceased relatives from March 31 to April 4.

New memorial services such as writing messages to the deceased on postcards, buying flowers rather than burning paper money –– a traditional Chinese offering to the dead –– have gradually become socially accepted at the local Yongan Funeral Parlor which received almost 300,000 visitors during the three-day holiday for Tomb Sweeping Day.

"The funeral parlor has also adopted ecofriendly incineration facilities to handle the offerings to the dead and reduce air pollution caused by combustion," said Liu Xiaoping, a staff member at the parlor.

In addition, quite a few local residents have chosen green burials, including tree and grassland burials. The natural burial method benefits the environment as the ashes of the dead are put into biodegradable containers and returned to the earth.

It's expected that more citizens will change their traditional views about funerals and accept modern and ecofriendly ways to honor the dead with the cause of funeral customs being advanced and the local government taking the initiative, according to the director of Taiyuan civil affairs bureau.