Staff from Beijing counseling agency the Inner Light Group play the roles of relatives and friends at a faux funeral. Such mock ceremonies aim to help people realize the impact their death would have on loved ones. Photo: Li Hao/GT
A 'mourner' holds the hand of the 'deceased' at a faux funeral run by the Inner Light Group. Photo: Li Hao/GT
Try before you dieA woman lies in a coffin as a Grim Reaper imitator stands ominously above at a public benefit experience day in Shanghai in 2012. Photo: IC
Ashes to ashes
For those who want to take their near-death experience a step further from a funeral, the Life and Death Experience Center in Shanghai might be the best option. Visitors can write their own will and epitaph, as well as nominate organs they wish to donate.
The experience culminates inside a 4D "crematory" that shows the living what the dead never see, hear or smell: roaring flames turning skin, hair and bones to ash.
The center, which has attracted more than 400,000 yuan from over 200 investors since July 2013, is slated to open later this year.
Ding Rui, one of the center's co-founders, was inspired to create the grisly tourist attraction after climbing into a real crematory himself in November 2011 while working as a trainer for volunteers at Hand in Hand, a Shanghai-based NGO that provides palliative care.
"When I was inside the crematory, I felt breathless for a moment and very close to death," recalled Ding.
Although Ding knew he was safe, staring at flame vents positioned above his head and at his sides was an unnerving experience.
"Being inside [the crematory] strengthened my resolve to open the center to teach people about death. I wanted to simulate the vivid feeling of being cremated and also experiencing rebirth," said Ding.
Dying to experience the other side
His time spent caring for people nearing the end of their lives led Ding to realize problems with Chinese being "unable to openly talk about death."
"After taking care of more and more dying patients, I found that people's fear of death is infectious like a virus," said Ding, adding that his biggest concern from experience in palliative care was seeing how few people - from the elderly to their family members - struggled to directly face death.
No one lives forever, but sometimes people can be uncomfortable at being reminded they are mere mortals.
"The deep impact of Chinese culture is a major reason why few people are comfortable talking about death," said Wang Zuoji, deputy director of the Beijing Folklore Committee and a member of the capital's non-tangible cultural heritage committee.
In Chinese culture, the number four is considered unlucky because its pronunciation in Putonghua is close to "die." Similarly, a clock is never given as a gift because it sounds similar to the word for "end." Even the sight of chopsticks placed upright in a bowl of rice can cause superstitious Chinese to shudder due to its resemblance to incense.
"Some customs and taboos have no scientific reasoning, existing only to reject anything related to death or bad luck," said Wang.
Preserving dignity at the end
Ding said he shared a feeling of powerlessness with those he cared for in palliative care, noting that medical apparatus used to extend people's lives often came at the cost of individuals' dignity.
"People dying don't have the right to decide matters relating to their death, which are instead handled by relatives often influenced by others' opinions," said Ding.
Most people spare no effort to give their loved ones the best medical care possible, even if it means extending their life for a short time only. Life-support machines and medical ventilators are often used to keep alive patients unable to talk or move out of bed.
In a society that values filial piety, many relatives don't dare assist or speed up a parent's death. Despite a December 2013 survey by Shanghai Jiao Tong University finding that more than two-thirds of Chinese have an open, tolerant attitude towards euthanasia, the practice is banned under Chinese law and there are no signs it could be legalized any time soon.
"In some regards, palliative care doesn't work in educating people about death," said Ding.
"We want to put it in the spotlight by letting people experience the closest thing to it. Death education is important because no one knows when their number is up."
Learning about death
Wang Yifang, a professor at Peking University's Health Science Center, recalled how one of his colleagues learned after teaching a class in 2009 that his father was terminally ill. Accepting fate gave both father and son peace of mind.
"My colleague shunned technology and medical care that would extend his father's life, choosing instead to provide palliative care at home. His father died graciously," said Wang Yifang.
Since 2009, Wang Yifang has taught a course about life and death that helps students come to grips with an issue avoided most of their young lives.
"My course provides theory-based education, while death simulation is a more radical version of interactive education," said Wang Yifang.
Approaches to death education vary in China. It currently isn't included in curriculums of schools, with opinions among experts divided over whether it should be added.
Medical students in Taiwan are required to lie in a coffin and read farewell letters, while students at a high school in Hainan Province visit funeral parlors to inspect how ashes are stored after cremation.
Chen Yue, a counselor at the Sunshine Psychological Counseling Corporation in Beijing, has taught a class since February about death education.
Attendance is low, however, with even some fellow counselors unable to sit through classes due to the grim nature of its subject.
"Parents need to take the initiative in teaching their children about death. The subject of death is horrible, but neglecting it makes it even more terrifying to children," said Chen.
"China has a long way to go in death education, which can not be achieved in the span of one or two generations. People need to dramatically change their perception of death, but this can only be done little by little."
Zhu Xi and Tang Liyue contributed to this story