S450L (1.1M yuan) buried as funeral offering in Liaoyang, China on April 9. Authorities reprimanded family April 10; they face fines, excavate car and restore ecology.
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A Mercedes-Benz was buried as a funerary offering in a village in northeastern China, sparking widespread public outrage over alleged legal violations and severe environmental safety risks. A viral video captured the controversial scene: villagers in Liaoyang, Liaoning province, attending the funeral of a septuagenarian on April 9, where a real luxury car was laid to rest alongside the deceased.
Sources told mainland media that the deceased was an avid luxury car collector, prompting his children to bury a real vehicle in the belief that it would ensure his soul’s peaceful passage to the afterlife — a drastic departure from traditional Chinese funeral customs.
The vehicle in question was a black Mercedes-Benz S450L, valued at around 1.1 million yuan (US$161,000), adorned with the number plate “8888” — a digit synonymous with wealth and good fortune in Chinese culture. License plates featuring four identical digits are highly sought-after for their auspicious connotations; locally, such plates can fetch up to 250,000 yuan (US$37,000), with similar plates in neighboring cities having been sold for even higher prices in the past.
The viral clip showed an excavator lifting the car next to a newly erected tombstone. The vehicle was draped in a red cloth, and red ribbons were tied to its side mirrors — traditional symbols of auspice in Chinese funerals. Dozens of villagers then helped push the car into the grave, with some picking up shovels to cover it with soil, participating in the controversial ritual.
According to mainland media outlet Xin Huanghe, a male family member later hosted a banquet to thank the villagers for their help, handing out 500-yuan (US$70) red envelopes to each helper. The family offered no explanation for choosing to bury a real car instead of the traditional paper replicas of vehicles, houses, and appliances — which are commonly burned in Chinese funeral customs to ensure the deceased a comfortable afterlife.
The incident quickly divided public opinion. Some netizens accused the family of blatant wealth flaunting, calling the act excessive and vulgar. In contrast, relatives defended the gesture as a sincere expression of grief and filial devotion to their late father. More voices, however, raised concerns about the environmental and legal consequences: burying an untreated car, they warned, could severely contaminate soil and groundwater, while also potentially violating land-use regulations.
Wang Peng, a lawyer at Beijing Fahuan Law Firm, told mainland media that even though the car was privately owned, failing to complete proper scrapping procedures for the vehicle could lead to administrative penalties. “If the number plate is forged, those involved may also face administrative detention,” he added, highlighting the potential legal risks beyond environmental harm.
Authorities stepped in promptly the next day. On April 10, the Gongchangling District government of Liaoyang issued an official notice confirming the incident: the family, surnamed Jin, had been reprimanded for illegally burying the car out of feudal superstition. The Jin family has since issued a public apology and may face fines, in addition to being required to cover the costs of excavating the car, clearing the site, and conducting ecological restoration to mitigate environmental damage. The district government also announced that it would launch a comprehensive inspection and rectification of illegal and irregular behaviors in the funeral and interment field to promote cultural and social transformation and eliminate such violations of laws, regulations and public order and good customs.
The story has caused a massive buzz on mainland social media, with related posts garnering over 30 million views. “This is ridiculous. They only care about the afterlife but ignore the pollution they cause in the world of the living,” one netizen commented. Another added: “Showing love to your family while they are alive is far more meaningful than this symbolic gesture.” A third netizen expressed deeper concern: “Rich people with this kind of cluelessness are a real problem for the world. The authorities should also check if they have broken any other laws, like dodging taxes.”
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Editor: Crystal H
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