Qingming funeral and burial fees, Jiangsu draws the line!

The Qingming Festival is approaching, and all regions of the province are welcoming a peak in tomb-sweeping activities.

Recently, the Jiangsu Provincial Market Supervision Administration issued a reminder letter to regulate the order of the Qingming funeral market, clearly stating that operators in the funeral sector must not exceed standards, create their own items, decompose items, or charge beyond the scope; they must not change the frequency of charges or the billing methods; they must not force or indirectly force the sale of funeral products or provide services for a fee; they must not restrict the bereaved from bringing their own legal funeral products.

Attachment:

Reminder Letter from the Jiangsu Provincial Market Supervision Administration Regarding the Order of the Funeral Market During Qingming

To all operators in the funeral sector:

As the Qingming Festival approaches in 2026, to ensure that the tomb-sweeping activities of the general public proceed in an orderly manner and maintain the stability of the funeral service and funeral product market order, the Provincial Market Supervision Administration reminds all operators in the funeral sector to strictly adhere to the “Price Law,” “Anti-Unfair Competition Law,” “Anti-Monopoly Law,” “Consumer Rights Protection Law,” “Funeral Management Regulations,” and “Regulations on Marked Prices in the Funeral Sector (Trial),” among other laws and regulations, to conduct business in accordance with the law and with integrity:

1. For funeral services and products with government pricing or government-guided pricing, strict compliance with local government regulations on charging items and standards is required, implementing relief and preferential policies for funeral services; operators must not exceed standards, create their own items, decompose items, or charge beyond the scope. Services included in basic funeral services must not be charged again under the name of extended services, and the frequency and billing methods must not be changed.

2. Prices for funeral services and products that are reasonably determined within the range of market-adjusted prices must not force or indirectly force the sale of funeral products or provide services for a fee. Price collusion and price fraud must not be implemented, and basic funeral services must not be concealed for the purpose of promoting extended services. Operators must not restrict the bereaved from bringing their own legal funeral products.

3. Strictly enforce the regulations on marked prices, prominently displaying information on service items, charging standards, document basis, relief policies, reporting phone numbers, service processes, and content at business locations. Funeral service agencies selling funeral products must also disclose prices, pricing units, origins, grades, materials, and other information, accepting social supervision. They must not charge extra for goods beyond the marked prices or collect unmarked fees. When publicizing, basic funeral services and extended service contents and charges must be clearly distinguished. Operators who have conducted centralized online publicity through government websites, government apps, and other channels must promptly update price information to ensure consistency between online and offline information.

4. Strictly regulate daily business practices, prohibiting commercial bribery, false advertising, and other unfair competition behaviors. Operators must not abuse their dominant market position to exclude or restrict competition, operate without a license, operate beyond their scope, or sell substandard funeral products.

All operators in the funeral sector are requested to conduct self-inspections and rectifications seriously according to the requirements of this policy reminder letter and further standardize their business practices. If the general public discovers any violations of laws and regulations related to the functions of market supervision departments in the funeral sector, they can report complaints through the 12315 hotline.

Market supervision departments at all levels across the province will continue to strengthen supervision and inspection of funeral services and sales behaviors of funeral products, closely monitoring complaints and public sentiment. For illegal activities that remain unrectified after warnings and have strong public backlash, once verified, they will be dealt with strictly according to the law, and serious cases with severe circumstances and significant impacts will be publicly exposed in accordance with the law.

Source: Xinhua Daily · Intersection News

Authors: Hong Ye, Xu Yuan

Editor: Ding Ding

Reviewer: Fan Jiexun

[Source: WeChat Jiangsu]