Latest news with #Qichacha
Borneo Post
2 days ago
- Business
- Borneo Post
China's pet funeral industry booms as owners seek dignified farewells
A man kisses his pet cat at a pet cat exposition in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Aug. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Huang Jinkun) BEIJING (Aug 11): When his cat passed away recently, Beijing resident Gao Jian chose more than a burial. He arranged a formal farewell ceremony with a pet funeral service provider, part of a quiet revolution sweeping China's cities as millions seek dignified goodbyes for their animal companions. With over 120 million pets nationwide and around 3 million dying annually, China's pet funeral sector has expanded rapidly. Data from company information inquiry services provider Qichacha showed that over 7,900 businesses now offer pet funeral services across China, most established within the past three years. As memorial candles flicker in facilities across Chinese cities, the ritual, typically including farewell ceremonies, cremation, and commemorative products, speaks to something deeper: a society honoring the creatures that shared its journey. In southwest China's Chongqing, over 40 providers operate in the city's urban area. At a pet memorial center named Sun Forest in downtown Chongqing, grieving owners pen final messages to their companions in a 300-square-meter space divided into functional zones. Since opening last July, the facility has served 500 pets, with monthly volumes reaching 80, said founder Tan Jingyuan. 'Basic packages start at several hundred yuan,' said Tan. 'And personalized options, including floral arrangements, custom urns, or fur memorials, can cost thousands.' The industry's growth accelerated after China's 2021 revised animal epidemic prevention law mandated proper disposal of dead animals. Major cities, such as Shanghai and Shenzhen, subsequently banned the random burial of pets, requiring designated facilities for harmless treatment. This March, south China's Guangdong Province launched its first licensed pet disposal center featuring closed-loop transportation, personalized services, and professional processing. Analysts project that the market will grow from 1.8 billion yuan (approximately 250.6 million U.S. dollars) in 2023 to 5 billion yuan by 2025. The trend reflects profound shifts in how Chinese view their pets. 'They're family members deserving dignified departures,' said Liu Xiaoxia, with the pet industry branch at the China Animal Agriculture Association. This isn't just about sanitation; it's about respect, Liu said. Urban residents like Chen Si exemplify this mindset. When Chen's cat died in April, she drove 80 kilometers to a licensed facility rather than bury it casually. 'It deserved proper care,' Chen said. While challenges remain, industry leaders are implementing self-regulation. The pet commerce association in the city of Anshan, northeast China's Liaoning Province, has proposed price guidance systems and 'blacklists' for fraudulent operators. 'Standardization is progressing,' Tan noted at his Chongqing memorial hall. 'We're seeing widespread public support for ethical services.' – Xinhua
Borneo Post
2 days ago
- Business
- Borneo Post
Pet funeral industry booms as owners seek dignified farewells
A man kisses his pet cat at a pet cat exposition in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Aug. 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Huang Jinkun) BEIJING (Aug 11): When his cat passed away recently, Beijing resident Gao Jian chose more than a burial. He arranged a formal farewell ceremony with a pet funeral service provider, part of a quiet revolution sweeping China's cities as millions seek dignified goodbyes for their animal companions. With over 120 million pets nationwide and around 3 million dying annually, China's pet funeral sector has expanded rapidly. Data from company information inquiry services provider Qichacha showed that over 7,900 businesses now offer pet funeral services across China, most established within the past three years. As memorial candles flicker in facilities across Chinese cities, the ritual, typically including farewell ceremonies, cremation, and commemorative products, speaks to something deeper: a society honoring the creatures that shared its journey. In southwest China's Chongqing, over 40 providers operate in the city's urban area. At a pet memorial center named Sun Forest in downtown Chongqing, grieving owners pen final messages to their companions in a 300-square-meter space divided into functional zones. Since opening last July, the facility has served 500 pets, with monthly volumes reaching 80, said founder Tan Jingyuan. 'Basic packages start at several hundred yuan,' said Tan. 'And personalized options, including floral arrangements, custom urns, or fur memorials, can cost thousands.' The industry's growth accelerated after China's 2021 revised animal epidemic prevention law mandated proper disposal of dead animals. Major cities, such as Shanghai and Shenzhen, subsequently banned the random burial of pets, requiring designated facilities for harmless treatment. This March, south China's Guangdong Province launched its first licensed pet disposal center featuring closed-loop transportation, personalized services, and professional processing. Analysts project that the market will grow from 1.8 billion yuan (approximately 250.6 million U.S. dollars) in 2023 to 5 billion yuan by 2025. The trend reflects profound shifts in how Chinese view their pets. 'They're family members deserving dignified departures,' said Liu Xiaoxia, with the pet industry branch at the China Animal Agriculture Association. This isn't just about sanitation; it's about respect, Liu said. Urban residents like Chen Si exemplify this mindset. When Chen's cat died in April, she drove 80 kilometers to a licensed facility rather than bury it casually. 'It deserved proper care,' Chen said. While challenges remain, industry leaders are implementing self-regulation. The pet commerce association in the city of Anshan, northeast China's Liaoning Province, has proposed price guidance systems and 'blacklists' for fraudulent operators. 'Standardization is progressing,' Tan noted at his Chongqing memorial hall. 'We're seeing widespread public support for ethical services.' – Xinhua
NBC News
28-07-2025
- Business
- NBC News
China investigates Shaolin Temple's head monk on suspicion of financial and sexual misconduct
HONG KONG — The head of China 's famous Shaolin Temple has been defrocked as he is investigated by authorities for alleged financial offenses and sexual misconduct. Shi Yongxin, the temple's abbot since 1999, has had his ordination certificate revoked, China's state-backed Buddhist Association said in a statement Monday, citing allegations that he embezzled and misappropriated project funds and temple assets. The 59-year-old religious leader also broke his vow of celibacy, having 'improper relationships' with women over a long period of time and fathering at least one child out of wedlock, the temple said in a separate statement Sunday. Shi's actions are 'particularly egregious, severely damaging the reputation of the Buddhist community and tarnishing the image of monastics,' the association said, adding that it 'firmly supports' the investigation by multiple agencies. Calls to the Shaolin Temple went unanswered on Monday. Dubbed the 'CEO monk,' Shi globally commercialized the Shaolin Temple based in China's central province of Henan, a 1,500-year-old monastery recognized as the cradle of kung fu. As of Monday, four companies are still registered under Shi's name, according to Qichacha, a Chinese corporate database operator. Led by Shi, the temple has raised its international profile over the years through tourism, performances and training. It has also established multiple overseas cultural centers, including in the United States, Australia and Europe. Though Shi has faced similar accusations in the past, they were rejected by religious authorities at the time. In 2011, Shi downplayed online rumors that he had mistresses and children. 'There's no need to vindicate. When things like this happen, just let it go,' he told state-run newspaper People's Daily. In 2015, several of Shi's students accused him of extortion and bribery, drawing heightened attention from China's top religious affairs body. A two-year investigation later cleared Shi of wrongdoing. The latest investigation was widely satirized on Chinese social media, where commenters noted the irony of the allegations against Shi given that his religion requires him to live frugally. 'All the wishes I made for wealth and success at the Buddhist temples have come true for the monks,' one user wrote on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
Straits Times
17-06-2025
- Straits Times
Explosion at fireworks factory in southern China kills 9, injures 26
BEIJING – An explosion at a fireworks factory in the southern Chinese province of Hunan killed nine people and injured 26 others, the state-run Xinhua news agency said on June 17. The blast occurred at around 8.23am local time on June 16 at a factory owned by the Hunan Shanzhou Fireworks Company in a mountainous area just over 60km north of the city of Changde. Videos published by state media showed black and grey smoke rising into the sky as fireworks exploded out of a raging fire while emergency services surveyed the scene. A team from the Ministry of Emergency Management was also sent to the site, Xinhua said. The blast comes just weeks after an explosion at a chemical plant in north-eastern China that killed at least five people, and highlights the risk in storage of hazardous and flammable chemicals in the world's top manufacturer despite years of crackdown on unsafe practices. Two massive explosions at warehouses in the port city of Tianjin in 2015 killed over 170 people and injured 700, prompting the government to overhaul its chemical storage laws. It took firefighters more than 20 hours to contain the June 16 blaze, according to local media. The governor of Hunan province, Mr Mao Weiming, visited the site on June 17 and urged the local authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion and hold those responsible to account, local media reported. Hunan Shanzhou Fireworks Company, headquartered in Changde, was established in 2017 and employs 95 people, according to company information tracker Qichacha. It produces the chemicals used for making explosives, detonators and fireworks. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
South China Morning Post
10-04-2025
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
Ex-Tesla Optimus engineer leaves to launch robotics start-up in Palo Alto, Shenzhen
A former Tesla engineer has left the company's humanoid robot project, Optimus, to co-found a robotics start-up with operations in Palo Alto, California, and Shenzhen amid intensifying competition in the industry. Advertisement Shuo Yang, who was a robotics and machine learning engineer at Tesla, announced in posts on X and LinkedIn on Wednesday that he had quit the electric vehicle company to start Mondo Tech with a former colleague from his days at DJI, China's top drone maker. Mondo Tech aims to build 'smaller, more accessible robots' for consumer use, he wrote. The products will be 'mini robots that can serve as little friends in people's lives', according to the engineer, who added that the inspiration for the move came from his desire to build a companion robot for his son. The new company was established in Shenzhen in January with 1 million yuan (US$136,500) in registered capital, according to Chinese corporate database Qichacha. Gao Jianrong, a former director at DJI who oversaw the company's RoboMaster robotics competition, is listed as the start-up's director, according to corporate data tracker ITJuzi. Mondo Tech joins a growing list of robotics ventures attracting Chinese talent from US tech giants, as the race to produce artificial intelligence (AI) -powered machines – for both factory and household use – heats up. Advertisement Yang, a graduate of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Carnegie Mellon University, is part of a wave of engineers pivoting to consumer-facing robots.
