Graveyard story! China's extravagant funerals under scrutiny

In its latest effort to combat corruption, China has issued new guidelines to rectify and punish violations of funeral regulations for ruling Communist Party members, such as unapproved types of burial and the purchase of oversized tombs.Thousands of officials, including senior members and army officials were punished in the last two years in the massive anti-graft drive.

“Many graves for officials are several times larger than the standard of no more than one square metre. Plus, many have luxury decorations, and in some cases, a luxurious grave can serve as a bribe,“ Yang Genlai, a funeral management expert said.

Another prominent problem is officials taking advantage of their power to throw lavish feasts at funerals and collect large sums of money, Yang said.

China's cabinet in 2013 imposed a ban on officials from holding extravagant funerals to collect money.