Cheng Beng for the year of the Dragon is just round the corner and all I could think of is it's not cheap to die these days. Someone I know once bought a small piece of land for his future resting place and it came to more than ten thousands Ringgit. That's big money in Malaysia! For Chinese, it is important to have a good coffin and a proper burial place with good Feng Shui as it is believed that this could affect the well-being of the living descendants of the deceased. As a result, I suppose in the past, a person may buy a coffin for himself and keep it at home, sleep in it even; at least, that's what's depicted in some old Chinese movies. Nowadays, a person can go further and plans where he wants to be buried and in style too! A person may choose to be buried in a modern garden-style landscaped cemetery which is managed by a professional team. That augurs well since Chinese cemeteries used to be a haphazard and unkempt thing. Grasses and weeds are left to grow untended and they are only trimmed once a year for Cheng Beng. All that had changed in some parts of Malaysia. I have heard of the Nirvana Memorial Park(inset) in Semenyih, Selangor where the longest dragon statue in Malaysia is supposed to be located. Inside the 1,000 feet long dragon are boxes for placement of the deads' ashes. In Taiping, there is the Prestavest Memorial Park which had been in operation since 1996 and a newer place called Bao Di Memorial Park. A couple can buy a double burial plot there. That's not until death do we part but together even in death!
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