Modern Shanghai Funeral Organization And Funeral Industry

Funeral, is formerly the burial of the Chinese words,now it is refers to the ways of handle the remains and the form of mourning the dead. The funeral enterprise is specialized in handling remains and lament to the dead. Funeral is the last proving after death, the funeral enterprise is also an important part in people’s livelihood. While Shanghai in modern times was the commercial, financial and trade center, it was also the window of the Chinese and western cultural exchange. The development of Shanghai funeral enterprise has its particularity, the first modern cemetery, the first funeral home and the first crematoria are opened by westerners. In Shanghai, the doors of the modern funeral enterprise was opened by westerners.This thesis is based on the material of the relevant documents of the Shanghai municipal archives, Shanghai historical materials, newspapers and magazines, local records and other information, try to investigate the change and development of the funeral enterprise in Shanghai since the late Qing dynasty to the Republic of China(1912-1945).The development of modern Shanghai funeral organization and Shanghai’s modernization was at the same pace. Since 1912, in the complex environment of Chinese with westerners and people from different places lived together, Shanghai gradually formed a both traditional and modern funeral programs and funeral organization. The development of modern Shanghai funeral enterprise has four characteristics:the first is a form from scattered to the organized development. The second is person work in the funeral enterprise is from unprofessional to professional. The third is the funeral service from single to diversified. Since The Anti-Japanese War,the funeral enterprise developed fast. The enterprise scale gradually expand and also gradually. Shanghai Municipal Funeral Business Guild was established during this period. Shanghai Municipal Funeral Business Guild was the organization which mainly in coordinating the relationship between the government and the trade, and to protect the interests of the trade. And the government was shipped by Shanghai Municipal Funeral Business Guild to influence and control the funeral enterprise.