Abstract
This article explores how the parent-child bond is continued in an emergent deathscape in urban China where graves designated for deceased children are being created. This new child-centered deathscape stands in stark contrast to the dominant Chinese deathscape which is embedded in the longstanding practice of ancestor worship. Based on data collected through cemetery visits and interviews with bereaved parents, this article delves into the making of this new deathscape manifested at a cemetery in urban China to demonstrate the process of bereaved parents building and maintaining bonds with their deceased children. It reveals how bereaved parents regard their children’s graves as the children’s new homes in the afterlife. It also discusses how a deceased child’s identity is presented and social presence continued at the grave, how parental love is expressed and practiced after the burial, and how the parent-child bond is expressed as continuing in the afterlife.
Published Version
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