"Please Move My Deceased Father"... Why Delivery Requests Are Flooding in China

Funeral Costs Excessively High Due to Confucian Customs
Approximately 1.9 Million Won Spent Just on Transporting the Body

Recently, as orders to transport corpses via courier companies have increased in China, the related industry is suffering. Analysts say this unusual phenomenon has occurred due to the exorbitant rise in corpse transportation costs. On the 12th, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the bizarre transportation requests recently experienced by Chinese courier companies. The company that received such a request is 'Lalamove,' a delivery company established in Hong Kong in 2013.

On the 12th, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on a bizarre transportation request recently experienced by a Chinese courier company. The company that received the request is 'Lalamove,' a delivery company established in Hong Kong in 2013.
[Photo by SCMP]

This company owns a large number of vans and trucks, enabling it to handle bulky deliveries. Recently, the company received a strange order. The courier who answered the phone realized after speaking with the customer that the item to be transported was a corpse. Although it was an absurd request, he politely declined the delivery. However, the customer insisted, offering extra money to have the transport carried out. The courier responded, "No matter how much more money you offer, I cannot transport a corpse." Then, the customer suddenly changed tone and threatened to spread rumors that the courier company refused the delivery.

Similar requests for corpse transportation continue within China. This is because funeral costs in China are outrageously high. Funeral service providers are exploiting Confucian customs that emphasize rites such as funerals and weddings to charge exorbitant fees. Some funeral homes charge as much as 10,000 yuan (approximately 1.9 million KRW) just for transporting a corpse, leading bereaved families to worry about costs and attempt to transport corpses via courier services, SCMP reported.

Meanwhile, current Chinese law stipulates that corpses must be transported using dedicated funeral vehicles that meet national technical standards. These corpse transport vehicles must be equipped not only with facilities to store and refrigerate bodies but also with contamination prevention facilities to guard against pathogens that may be transferred with the corpse.