DM Monitoring
GUIYANG: Feng Xingran, 82, with mild-to-moderate hearing loss, keeps a clear mind in the changes of banquets held in the small town where he lives.
Feng comes from Xiaba Village, Yanhe Tujia Autonomous County of southwest China’s Guizhou Province. The village was once heavily engulfed by extravagant funerals and bride prices, and locals would even spend 1 million yuan (about 143,000 U.S. dollars) building a tomb.
According to Feng, when the elderly passed away, it was common to hold a funeral that lasted for 10 to 15 days. Then, 100 to 200 villagers nearby would come and have three meals as well as midnight snacks together. “This was really a huge economic burden for the family,” said Feng.
When talking about funeral arrangements at present, Feng gave his nod. “Funerals last for no more than five days, and thus, both the family and their relatives save time, energy, and money,” he said.
“An ideal village has not just clean human settlements, but also good social manners and customs,” said Feng Like, deputy Party secretary of Houping Township, which Xiaba village belongs to. To boost rural revitalization, the local government set out rules and regulations, and helped villagers break with backward customs.
