Humorous epitaphs gain in popularity
CRI, August 23, 2013
An epitaph reading "I used to be a fat guy, but now I'm as skinny as all the others lying here" is carved on a gravestone at a public cemetery in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province. [Photo: Chutian Metropolis Daily]
More and more humorous epitaphs have been found at a public cemetery in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province.
Hubei-based newspaper Chutian Metropolis Daily reports that these epitaphs were seen by a large number of local citizens who honored their loved ones Wednesday, marking the annual Ghost Festival, falling on the 15th day of the seventh month according to the Chinese lunar calendar.
For example, one epitaph reading "Win every gamble" was created by a man surnamed Huang to honor his deceased father, featuring a Wuhan man who loves playing card games.
According to Luo Ying, a receptionist at the public cemetery, humorous epitaphs have received greater attention as more and more people want to pursue individuality in recent years.
The cemetery also has a pamphlet offering humorous epitaphs, including sentences like "You don't need sleep too much when you're alive, since you'll sleep forever after you die"; "I think I can be rescued by another emergency treatment"; and "One-bedroom, looking for someone to share, discuss personally."
A man surnamed Liu chose a sentence from the pamphlet for his late elder brother's gravestone which read, "I used to be a fat guy, but now I'm as skinny as all the others lying here."
Liu said he feels that his brother is still with him whenever he sees the sentence alongside his brother's smiling photo on the gravestone.
Song Ping, a member of the management staff at the cemetery, also believes that such epitaphs show that people are taking a more rational and calmer attitude towards death.
