The funeral of Mr. Wang : life, death, and ghosts in urbanizing China

A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at (https://doi.org/10.1525/luminos.105) www.luminosoa.org . In rural China funerals are conducted locally, on village land by village elders. But in urban areas, people have neither land for burials nor elder relatives to conduct funerals. Chinese urbanization, which has increased drastically in recent decades, involves the creation of cemeteries, state-run funeral homes, and small private funerary businesses. The Funeral of Mr. Wang examines social change in urbanizing China through the lens of funerals, the funerary industry, and practices of memorialization. It analyzes changes in family life, patterns of urban sociality, transformations in economic relations, the politics of memorialization, and the echoes of these changes in beliefs about the dead and ghosts. A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn moreat www.luminosoa.org. In rural China funerals are conductedlocally, on village land by village elders. But in urban areas,people have neither land for burials nor elder relatives to conductfunerals. Chinese urbanization, which has increased drastically inrecent decades, involves the creation of cemeteries, state-runfuneral homes, and small private funerary businesses. TheFuneral of Mr. Wang examines social change in urbanizing Chinathrough the lens of funerals, the funerary industry, and practicesof memorialization. It analyzes changes in family life, patterns ofurban sociality, transformations in economic relations, thepolitics of memorialization, and the echoes of these changes inbeliefs about the dead and ghosts "In rural China funerals are conducted locally, on village land by village elders. But in urban areas, people have neither land for burials nor elder relatives to conduct funerals. Chinese urbanization, which has picked up drastically in the past decades, has involved the creation of cemeteries, state-run funeral homes, and small private funerary businesses. The Funeral of Mr. Wang examines social change in urbanizing China through the lens of funerals, the funerary industry, and practices of memorialization. It analyzes changes in family life, patterns of urban sociality, transformations in economic relations, the politics of memorialization, and the echoes of these changes in beliefs about the dead and ghosts"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Luminos page 2 Title page 6 Copyright 7 Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 1. The Funeral of Mr. Wang 16 2. Of Transitions and Transformations 33 3. Of Space and Place 43 4. Of Strangers and Kin 67 5. Of Gifts and Commodities 86 6. Of Rules and Regulations 107 7. Of Souls and Spirits 126 8. Of Dreams and Memories 144 Epilogue 160 Notes 164 References 168 Index 178