Luxury Home Renovation in Foshan Resembles Ash Scattering Room, Prompting Residents’ Protest

In Foshan, Guangdong Province, a residential area is suspected of having houses renovated into “bone ash rooms” (commonly known as columbariums in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau), with homeowners suspecting that they may be operating commercially and have taken to filming videos to expose and protest the situation. However, local authorities have stated that the online rumors about “renovating bone ash rooms” are unfounded and that only certain areas have been designated as “Buddhist halls.”

According to reports from various mainland Chinese media outlets such as Jixumu News and Red Star News, recently, homeowners at the Hongyu Tianyu Riverside community in Foshan posted videos expressing concerns about the strange interior design of some houses in the neighborhood, with some appearing eerie. There were suspicions that these houses were being renovated to serve as columbariums to store bone ash, commonly referred to as “bone ash rooms,” with allegations of potential commercial operations. (Video link)

In the video footage, the ceiling inside one residential unit was designed in the shape of a cross, painted gold, adorned with “gold ingots,” and had black windows with gold trim. A closet was seen as a possible altar. Homeowners indicated that the house was being renovated for use as a Buddha hall to store bone ash.

The video uploader pointed out that there was not just one set of “bone ash rooms” within the same building. They commented, “It’s obviously commercial; they are treating us homeowners as fools.”

The video showed that the windows of these houses had been bricked up, and several residents expressed their dissatisfaction downstairs. One homeowner mentioned that this incident had left them unsettled and unable to sleep well.

Public records show that the Hongyu Tianyu Riverside community is located in Lishui Town, Nanhai District, Foshan City, with an average price of around 20,000 RMB per square meter. Due to its proximity to Guangzhou, many people working in Guangzhou choose to buy homes and settle here. Not far from the community, hundreds of meters away, is a cemetery named Yongle Park.

Government officials from Lishui Town, Nanhai District, Foshan City, responded to the media on the 13th, stating that the online claims of “renovating bone ash rooms” were not true. Some areas of the houses are planned to be used as “Buddhist halls.” The homeowners involved in the incident publicly pledged that the houses would only be used for personal purposes, with no commercial activities or storage of bone ash.

The term “bone ash room” refers to an area for storing bone urns, a phenomenon that has become increasingly common in recent years. Some people interviewed by mainland Chinese media outlets claimed that there was a certain proportion of “bone ash rooms” in their residential areas, with some floors or even entire buildings potentially having “more deceased residents than living ones.”

Mainland Chinese media outlets have reported that purchasing commercial housing for the specific purpose of storing bone urns is due to the high cost of cemeteries, expensive management fees, and short lease terms in major cities. However, while this addresses one problem, it may also lead to “conflicts.” (Previously reported: China’s expensive cemeteries lead to individuals buying commercial housing to store bone urns)