In a quiet corner of Phoenix Mountain Ecological Cemetery in Luoyang, Henan province, a memorial ceremony was held in late March next to rows of white pines and golden osmanthus trees. Beneath the trees lie the remains of 229 people, who were interred not in traditional tombs but in biodegradable urns designed to return to the earth.

Since its inception in 2016, the cemetery's eco-burial initiative "I Wish to Become a Tree" has offered a free, environmentally friendly alternative to conventional burials. The project was among the first in the city to promote the concept of tree burials, where ashes are interred under trees instead of in large stone graves, said Cui Zhenyu, deputy marketing director of the memorial park.

In 2016, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and eight other government departments issued guidelines promoting ecological burials that save land. "But even before the policy, we had already started exploring this idea," Cui said.

It began with a local writer searching for a dignified resting place for his late wife. Disheartened by the bustle of scenic spots, he approached the memorial park with the idea of a tree burial. "He believed memorials should be about remembrance, not monuments," Cui said.

The cemetery's authorities agreed with the eco-friendly and land-saving funeral rites, seeing it as a future trend in the industry and pioneering the idea in Luoyang, he added.

A collective tree burial ceremony has since been held each year ahead of Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, providing interment services for applicants.