The ashes of Barbie Hsu were buried in an extremely perplexing way, and netizens strongly opposed when the shocking truth was revealed. The public in China is protesting the family of Barbie Hsu for burying her using the method of “burial without a tomb.” On February 8, Barbie Hsu’s younger sister announced that the family would bury her using an environmentally friendly burial method, without a gravestone. According to her younger sister, this was Barbie Hsu’s wish during her lifetime. Additionally, the family hopes that Barbie Hsu can rest peacefully and merge with nature after her passing. With this burial method, the ashes of the deceased are placed in a biodegradable plastic or paper bag and buried at the base of a tree in a registered cemetery, with no gravestone or name of the deceased inscribed.
However, according to ETtoday, this method of burial is not as peaceful and ideal as people might think. The claim that this burial method will bring the deceased peace and unity with nature is merely a psychological comfort for the bereaved family members. Funeral experts state that ashes contain substances that are not easily decomposed by nature and often clump together, preventing trees from thriving. As a result, after one or a few years, cemetery staff will uproot the tree to remove the clumps of ashes, cremating them a second time before scattering them back into the soil.
Moreover, when buried using this method, the deceased will not have a gravestone, so after a few years, it’s very likely that Barbie Hsu’s relatives may not even know where her remains are buried. This is because the tree could be relocated, the soil could be re-cultivated each year, and the ashes could be scattered in another location after being cremated a second time.
After the truth behind this burial method was reported by the media, the public demanded that Barbie Hsu’s family set up a proper and respectful tomb for the late artist. They believe that Barbie Hsu’s sudden death was already a deeply tragic event, and no one wants to see the artist’s ashes disturbed, exhumed, and cremated multiple times shortly after the initial burial. Netizens have expressed that burying Barbie Hsu using this method is cruel and tragic for such a talented artist. In response to the public’s views on Barbie Hsu’s burial, the late artist’s family has not yet commented on the matter.
Barbie Hsu’s body was cremated in Japan on February 3. On February 5, her ashes were brought back to Taiwan (China) by her husband, Koo Jun Yup, and family via a private jet. Her younger sister wanted to keep the ashes at home so that her late sister wouldn’t be lonely, and so she could talk to her when she had time. However, the decision to keep Barbie Hsu’s ashes at the family’s private residence in a luxury apartment (in Taipei, Taiwan, China) was met with disapproval from the surrounding neighbors. The opposition from the residents forced Barbie Hsu’s family to change their funeral plans.
