China mandates funeral service pricing transparency

BEIJING -- Chinese authorities have rolled out a new regulation mandating clear price labeling across the funeral service industry, aiming to eradicate opaque pricing and excessive charges that have long plagued this sector.

The regulation, released on Tuesday by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, sets forth both general requirements applicable to all funeral sector operators and special provisions tailored to specific types of businesses.

Under the regulation, operators must clearly label price information for funeral goods and services. They are also required to publicly display service supervision and complaint hotlines, adopt standardized contracts for funeral services, and implement online price disclosure.

Funeral services are a vital matter of public well-being that concerns every family. For years, persistent challenges have included vague descriptions of service items, a lack of transparent pricing, scarce online information, and the public's reluctance or fear to ask questions about costs.

The new rule will take effect on May 31 on a trial basis.