Authorities in north-eastern China have issued a formal reprimand to a family who buried a luxury Mercedes-Benz as a funerary gift for their late father, sparking a national debate over “feudal superstition” and environmental protection.
The incident, which took place on 9 April in a village in Liaoyang, Liaoning province, involved the burial of a black Mercedes-Benz S450L valued at approximately 1.1 million yuan (US$161,000). The deceased, a man in his seventies, was described as a passionate collector of expensive motor vehicles.
To honour his memory and reportedly ensure a “peaceful passage” for his soul, his children chose to inter the actual vehicle rather than follow the traditional Chinese custom of burning paper replicas.
Footage of the ceremony, which went viral on social media with over 30 million views, showed an excavator lowering the car into a large grave beside a newly erected tombstone.
The vehicle was draped in red cloth, with auspicious red ribbons tied to the side mirrors. Dozens of villagers assisted in the process and were later rewarded by the family—surnamed Jin—with 500-yuan “red envelopes” during a celebratory banquet.
The car also featured the highly coveted number plate “8888,” a sequence associated with extreme wealth that can fetch up to 250,000 yuan in the local market.
However, the gesture quickly drew the attention of the authorities and the ire of the public. The local civil affairs bureau condemned the act as an illegal burial rooted in “feudal superstition”.
Legal experts have also warned of potential administrative and criminal consequences. Wang Peng, a lawyer at the Beijing Fahuan Law Firm, noted that bypassing official scrapping procedures could lead to penalties, and any potential forgery of the number plate might result in administrative detention.
Environmental concerns were also at the forefront of the controversy, as critics pointed out that burying an untreated vehicle could cause severe contamination of soil and groundwater. One social media user remarked that the family appeared to care only for the afterlife while ignoring the “pollution they cause in the world of the living”.
In the wake of the scandal, the Jin family has issued a public apology. Reports indicate they may face significant fines and will be held responsible for the costs of excavating the vehicle, clearing the site, and performing ecological restoration.
