New graves scatter the countryside of Xuna village, Zhoukou city, Central China's Henan province where the city demolished more than two million tombs as part of a "flatten graves to return farmland" campaign in 2012, April 1, 2013. Tombs were relocated to public cemeteries, sparking outrage in a country where ancestors are traditionally held in deep respect. The government encouraged cremation, but many in the countryside continue to construct tombs due to traditional beliefs and a lack of cemeteries. More than 100,000 new tombs have been built in the fields since Spring Festival in early February in Zhoukou, where only 60 percent choose cremation in rural areas. [Photo/Xinhua] |