Li Zhong has lived in Catalonia for decades after immigrating from China. Their children grew up in the Spanish territory and have established roots of their own. Ms Lee is one of more than 223,000 residents from the Asian country registered in Spain. The community has grown over the years. Many are raising their children here and, unlike a while ago, no longer think about returning to their city later. “I plan to retire in Barcelona to be closer to my family,” Lee explains.
Although many people still consider returning to China after retirement, more and more people agree with Li’s opinion and consider Spain a place to retire and die. For this reason, a group of representatives of Catalonia’s Chinese community has created an association to promote the construction of the first multi-denominational Chinese cemetery in all of Southern Europe.
This cemetery is located in Monistrol de Calders (Barcelona) and will fulfill important aspects of Chinese funerary rituals. Basic principles dictate that bodies cannot be buried in niches and that there must be one, or at most two, graves. This can be done at any public cemetery in Catalonia or Spain, but it is expensive due to the small number of above-ground graves available.
What makes the new Chinese cemetery different are aspects of the rituals that cannot be performed in other cemeteries, and are important on a cultural level, although not mandatory. For example, preparations can be made to host a long and large celebration after death. They also often leave offerings in the form of food that would be removed in other cemeteries, and it is customary to burn paper or incense, which is also usually prohibited.
Additionally, new cemeteries are designed to meet other needs, such as remaining integrated with nature and having a location, design, and orientation that respects Feng Shui principles. For project proponents, the site’s suitability lies in its location, which allows it to blend in with nature without altering the landscape, and its distance from the city centre.
Cemetery on the grounds of a medieval farmhouse
created by society For this purpose To manage the new cemetery, he purchased land from an investment fund. This is La Paisa, an area of 58.7 hectares with medieval farmhouses included in the Catalan Architectural Heritage Inventory. The property also includes the chapel of San Narciso and a group of 6th-century Visigoth tombs that were excavated by archaeologists and then abandoned.
The Chinese community working with Altima Funeral Home has not released the name of the company formed for the transaction. The City Council of Monistrol de Calders also does not want to share this information until it is shared with stakeholders. Parliament has confirmed that it has agreed to grant construction permits in exchange for certain conditions.
In a compromise obtained by this media outlet, it was agreed that the cemetery would prioritize hiring workers from the town, in addition to local and regional workers. “Unemployment is very high and it is important to give people jobs here,” explains Monistrol de Calder Mayor Arturo Argelaguer.
The first mayor recognizes the need to revitalize the town. “Large industry doesn’t come to us to bring money and jobs,” he admits. To this end, the Mayor’s Office agreed to pay the project promotion company an annual contribution of 20,000 to 40,000 euros as a “subsidy to the municipality”, in addition to hiring local companies, promoting the town within the Chinese community to promote entrepreneurship in the city center and surrounding areas, and fully constructing municipal facilities, a swimming pool or a soccer field.
The group promoting the project wanted to invite Mayor Argelaguer to Dongyuan, a municipality in the Qingtian region that had agreed to a partnership agreement with Monistrol de Calders. “They wanted this kind of proximity between the two cultures. It wasn’t just an economic transaction, it was a socio-cultural exchange,” explains the mayor.
The mayor’s office asserts that they are already noticing changes, and although the cemetery has not yet opened, they are beginning to notice the effects. They claim that some of the properties, which had been on the market for several years at prices in excess of €1 million, were sold immediately after the contract for the new cemetery was completed. However, the council notes that although it does not know whether the buyer is Chinese, it is excited about the new project.
Cemeteries in Diaspora Contexts
“There is a Chinese proverb that says that a fallen leaf returns to its roots,” explains Irene Masdeu y Torruella, a member of the Center for East Asian Studies (CERAO) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and a Doctor of International Culture. Anthropologists assert that the idea of returning to one’s place of origin is universal in all migrations, and that the Chinese are a good example because they have traditionally spent their old age in their homeland. However, the funeral traditions of the Chinese diaspora have changed over the years.
“We are in the second and third stages of Chinese migration. They are already deeply rooted in Spanish, Catalan or European society,” explains Masdeu, noting that it is increasingly common for them to bury their dead nearby. Moreover, the tradition understands that death is a continuation of life, so the living must continue to take care of the deceased, and in return, those who are no longer here take care of those who remain. In practice, such considerations mean that repeated visits to the grave are necessary, especially during the first year.
The new cemetery will differ from mainland China’s cemeteries, while still respecting the basic principles of funerary tradition. “It will be a cemetery in the context of the diaspora,” Masudou explains. The doctor added that in addition to funerals, they will try to ensure that Catalan society covers needs that are not covered, such as the sale of ritual objects such as incense and burning paper.
The cemetery now bears the name Suhabati, meaning land of supreme happiness, and is what the Pure Land school of Mahayana Buddhism is known as, one of the most practiced Buddhist traditions in the Far East, especially China, Japan, and Korea.
Its area of 587,400 square meters is larger than Barcelona’s Montjuïc Cemetery, but the number of graves in the Barcelona Cemetery is more than 150,000, while in the Monistrol de Calderus Sanctuary it is limited to a maximum of 80,000.
This paucity of space is due not only to the fact that no niche exists, but also to the fact that traditional cemeteries occupy only 56% of the site. The agreement between the council and the Chinese community stipulates that 38% of the forest space will be retained and the remaining 6% will be old farmland, which the site’s new owners are committed to restoring.
In addition to a 900-space parking lot, the site will also include a woodland burial space, an ecological space, a large lotus pond, a linden garden, a zodiac tree-lined avenue, and a “VIP space” with traditional Chinese artistic elements.
“There are probably more parking spaces than there are people in the town,” says one resident who currently lives in a La Paissa farmhouse that has been illegally occupied for years. “It will be like Port Abertura, but there will be deaths,” says the 28-year-old, who has been living on a farm with others for some time.
They ensure that buildings that have been abandoned since the 80s are brought to life and even maintained. “If it weren’t for those of us who lived there and dedicated ourselves to repairing and reinforcing the roof and beams, this heritage site would be completely in ruins,” says one of the residents.
“Even if they kick me out of La Paisa, I don’t care, because I have a truck and I have no intention of staying on the street,” the young woman emphasizes. “But it’s very unfortunate that people are so focused on money without thinking about the huge impact this macro project will have.”
Both housemates agree that they wish a different type of project had been carried out, such as a history museum utilizing Visigothic ruins and medieval architecture, or that the house had been returned to the colonial style of the late 20th century.
La Paissa residents, who so far have not received any formal communication from the new owners regarding legal eviction proceedings, are not the only ones who do not fully support the project. Some residents of the town are particularly suspicious of the fact that there is no Chinese community in the town. Still, they recognize the need for this project.
“The town is dying,” explains neighbor Imelda, 85, who has lived in Monistrol de Calder all her life. “Young people have to leave because there is no place to work.” Next to him, Isabelle (58 years old), who was born in this town, nods. She recently moved to another nearby town and has been working there for years.
“I think it’s good for people,” Isabel says. Even so, his support is conditioned by doubt. She is unsure whether the Chinese community will employ people from the town and worries that the agreement with the city council will remain a dead giveaway. Anthropologist Eileen Massdue claims that the Chinese community has a reputation for being insular, but assures that as generations pass and its members become more and more integrated into the community, these myths will be dismantled bit by bit.
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