A tree burial in Taipei
My grandma passed away in Taipei in 1977 and was buried in a plot in Yangmingshan 阳明山. Over the years, her grave had deteriorated to a point that we needed to do something major. My cousin had collected her and cremated, and temporarily put her ashes at Yongquan Temple 湧泉寺 while we decided what to do. Since most of us aren’t living in Taipei, ultimately, tree burial was chosen.
The following document were needed:
- the proof with the deceased – my dad’s ID card has his parents’ name
- my grandma’s death certificate – from the 地政事務所 Household Registration Office
- the moving out certificate from the temple 湧泉寺
My cousin arranged two people to help us with the burial (with a car), for a fee of NT$10,000 (about US$300). It took about 4 hours:
- picking up grandma’s ashes from the temple
- to a Mortuary Services Office 台北市殡葬管理处 to get a permit
- to funeral home 台北市殡葬管理处第二殡仪馆. The ashes from cremation needs another round of process
- to the tree burial site (Fude 富德灵骨楼), putting grandma to rest
Looking out from the temple, very tranquil.
The funeral service is provided by the government.
The government is encouraging tree/flower/sea burial, to save the planet, and maintains the park nicely. There isn’t a fee to bury at the site, and the family can choose any spot they desire.
