In the hinterland of Nanyang Mountain, Jiangtian Town, Changle District, Fuzhou City, there are many graves built and rushed (mosaic photo, March 14). Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Kehong


Xinhua News Agency reported that the original lush green hills were damaged by digging, Daxing Civil Works in the First Water Conservation Area... Before the Qingming Festival, "Xinhua Viewpoint" reporters found in Changle, Fuqing, Lianjiang, Fuzhou, and other places that although the local government continued to rectify the tomb chaos, the situation of stealing luxury tombs and living tombs was still frequent, and moved to remote mountainous areas and reservoirs, which shocked the extent of environmental damage.

Several workers on a hill in Xibian Village, Chengtou Town, Fuqing City, are building a living grave (taken by UAV on March 14). Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Kehong


Transfer of Luxurious Tombs Violated by Top Wind to Deep Mountains and Reservoir Areas


On a hill opposite Xibian Village, Chengtou Town, Fuqing City, reporters saw more than 100 tombs built in the mountains and forests. At the top of the hill, several workers are building a living tomb, which has a deforested area of nearly 100 square meters. There are 10 tombs. The trees around the tomb fall in all directions on the loess.


Nanyangshan, Jiangtian Town, Changle District, was once a dense area of luxury tombs and living tombs. On the nearby villages of Nanyang Mountain and the hillsides along the road, reporters found sporadic new tombs. Most of the luxury tombs built at the foot of the mountain were covered with branches or woven bags.

A cadre in Chengtou Town of Fuqing City shows a satellite map (taken on March 26) used for reference in the tomb renovation process. Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Kehong


Reporters continue to explore the hinterland of Nanyang Mountain. At the entrance of Nanyang Mountain Highway, several staff members are on duty at the grave renovation duty station set up by Jiangtian Town Government. Near the top of the mountain, graves on both sides of the road gradually increased. Reporters came to the top of the mountain at an altitude of more than 300 meters and found that more than 100 new tombs were densely covered with the whole mountain, many of which covered more than 100 square meters of living tombs, and the beautiful mountains with lush trees were devastated.


According to the reporter's investigation, some reservoirs with better ecological environment have also become grave-damaged areas.


Sanxi Reservoir in Jiangtian Town of Changle District covers an area of more than 550,000 square meters and belongs to the first-class water source protection area. Reporters saw that the mountains around the reservoir are densely distributed with hundreds of graves, and some small islands in the reservoir are densely covered with graves. The whole reservoir area is like a super cemetery. In addition to the old tombs, some of them have just been built, and workers are still working on them.

A new tomb in Matsushita Town, Changle District, Fuzhou City is covered with fabric (taken by UAV on March 14). Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Kehong


Xiangyang Reservoir in Nanyang Mountain of Jiangtian Town is also a first-class water source protection area. The slogans on the roadside of the reservoir read "Protect the water and cherish life" and "Prohibit the construction of tombs to protect beautiful mountains and rivers". On the hill near the reservoir entrance behind the sign, reporters found several new graves, trees destroyed and the mountain bare.


Reporter interviews found that illegal construction of luxury tombs generally use a large number of stone slabs, cement pouring. In the vicinity of the reservoir area, a large amount of loess and sand will be accumulated and washed into the reservoir by rainwater.

In the hinterland of Nanyang Mountain, Jiangtian Town, Changle District, Fuzhou City, Fengshui Pool was built in front of a large tomb (photographed on March 14). Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Kehong


Who is building against the law?


The Regulations on Funeral and Funeral Administration clearly stipulate that no unit or individual may build funeral and funeral facilities without approval. It is forbidden to establish or restore clan cemeteries, and to build graves in cultivated land, woodland, urban parks, scenic spots and cultural relics protection areas. In addition, the construction of living tombs and luxury tombs has violated the relevant provisions of the Forest Law and the Environmental Protection Law by cutting down trees and digging mountains without approval.


Who is against the law? Reporters visited seven townships in Fuzhou, Changle and Lianjiang, and learned that both villagers built their own land and seized the mountain for profit.


Reporters found a large number of graves on the seaside mountain of Nanshan Village, Longtian Town, Fuqing City, and the mountain was dug bare. Many villagers under the mountain told reporters that since 2018, the government has tightened control, forbidding villagers to build tombs privately, but there are still many people who build and rush to build them. Those with better economic conditions spend millions of yuan to build large cemeteries.

A Hill eroded by a newly built tomb in Chengtou Town, Fuqing City (taken by UAV on March 26). Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Kehong


Villagers said that the price of a cemetery in Fuqing is between 40,000 yuan and 60,000 yuan. If a living tomb can accommodate more than 10 people is built by oneself, a minimum of 30,000 yuan can be built.


In the coastal rural areas of Fuzhou, many people are superstitious about geomantic omen and pay attention to building tombs on the back of mountains and rivers. The beautiful scenery often becomes a serious disaster area which violates the construction of tombs. Reporter interviews learned that some villagers through the seizure of "geomantic treasure land" to sell profits, contributing to the tomb chaos.


Many villagers told reporters that in some "good geomancy" places, some villagers first dug the hill with hoes, threw some building materials to occupy the land, and then sold it at a high price. Some cemeteries can even sell for 100,000 yuan.

On the seaside hills of Nanshan Village, Longtian Town, Fuqing City, there are many tombs built and under construction (taken by UAV on March 14). Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Kehong


Repeated renovation over the years to speed up the construction of public cemeteries in rural areas


In recent years, Fuzhou has been carrying out many actions to rectify the illegal living tombs and luxury tombs, but there are some situations in law enforcement, such as not daring to touch hard, going through the scene and so on.


Several village cadres in Nanyang Village of Changle District told reporters that villagers in some surrounding villages regard the mountain forests near Nanyang Village as a treasure land of geomantic omen, and the burial of illegal construction is prohibited repeatedly. Villagers have been organized to stop people from going up the mountain, and relevant departments in Changle District and Jiangtian Town have made many inspections and renovations, but people who build graves secretly often choose night, rainy days or weekends, holidays to build them secretly, which can not be prevented.


Villagers told reporters that the family had built a living tomb covering more than 400 square meters before. Later, people in the town let it be renovated. He bought some trees and planted them around the cemetery.

This is a mosaic photo. Left: Stone tablet of "Jiangtian Zhenjiangtian Reservoir Drinking Water Source First Protection Zone" near a reservoir in Nanyang Mountain, Changle District, Fuzhou City (March 27); right: There are many new and old tombs on the hillside near the reservoir (March 27, UAV photographed). Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Kehong


The lagging construction of cemeteries is also one of the reasons for the disorder of tombs. Reporters visited 7 townships in Fuqing, Changle and Lianjiang, and found that only a few townships built public cemeteries. Some local people reflected that there was no cemetery to go to but to dig graves in the mountains.


The main hill of Roulu Island, Guantou Town, Lianjiang County, used to be the traditional tomb area of six villages around it. Because of the construction of ashes hall and cemetery on the island, the management of private tombs has achieved certain results. In Jiangtian Town, Changle District, where there are no cemeteries, new cemeteries are everywhere.


It is reported that Fuqing City has now built 65 life parks, and plans to achieve full coverage of town streets by the end of 2020.


Hu Minhui, director of the Civil Affairs Bureau of Changle District, said that the relevant departments should further simplify the process of declaration and approval of public welfare cemeteries in villages and towns, relax the restrictions on social capital participation in cemeteries construction, management and management, and effectively improve the security of public funeral facilities in rural areas.