Funerals in Contemporary China: Urban-Rural Perspectives on Changing Purposes

Haoyang Zhang

doi:10.47297/wspciWSP2516-252719.20261002

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Funerals in Contemporary China: Urban-Rural Perspectives on Changing Purposes

Volume 10, Issue 2

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Funerals in Contemporary China: Urban-Rural Perspectives on Changing Purposes
Funerals in Contemporary China: Urban-Rural Perspectives on Changing Purposes
The University of Edinburgh, School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH8 9LH, UK
Vol. 10, Issue 2, Pages: 93-96(2026)
Published：30 April 2026
DOI：10.47297/wspciWSP2516-252719.20261002
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Zhang Haoyang.Funerals in Contemporary China: Urban-Rural Perspectives on Changing Purposes[J].Creativity and Innovation,2026,10(02):93-96.
DOI：

Zhang Haoyang.Funerals in Contemporary China: Urban-Rural Perspectives on Changing Purposes[J].Creativity and Innovation,2026,10(02):93-96. DOI： 10.47297/wspciWSP2516-252719.20261002.

摘要

Abstract

Funerals in contemporary China reflect changing social and institutional conditions rather than serving solely as expressions of filial piety. This study compares urban and rural practices through visual and ethnographic materials

focusing on three dimensions: ritual organization and space

expenditure and social exchange

and meanings of death and the soul. The findings highlight that urban funerals are increasingly shaped by institutional procedures

governance concerns and market services

while rural funerals function as public events embedded in community relations

social status and local beliefs. Although filial piety remains present

it does not constitute the primary purpose in either context. Instead

funerals serve multiple roles shaped by governance structures

social networks and ritual traditions

suggesting that their functions are more complex than a single moral framework can explain.

关键词

Keywords

references

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