Shanghai plans to cut the current 70-year leases on graveyards to 30 years.

　　The measure, part of the city's regulations on cemetery administration, which are currently under discussion, are aimed at saving land in this increasingly ageing and densely populated city in the country, according to Lu Chunling, director of the Shanghai Funeral and Interment Administrative Office under the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau.

　　"We are thinking of establishing the primary period as 20 years, And for another 10 years the rental would be comparatively higher," he said.

　　"The amendment, if approved, will be applied only to new graves, with the old rules continuing to apply to existing graves."

　　Professor Qiao Kuanyuan from University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, said: "Three-fifths of the city's approximately 400 hectares of cemeteries have been occupied already.

　　"If current practices such as the long occupancy and inappropriate layout are continued, the city's 40 cemeteries will run out of space in about seven years."

　　A newly implemented local standard, which aims to standardize the measurement of graveyards, sets a clear criteria on the size of the tombs.

　　"For any single tomb, the space cannot go beyond 1.5 square metres, and for twin one, it's within 3 square metres," said Lu.

　　The standard also stipulates the space between tombs.

　　Before this, each public cemetery had its own measurement, which has already resulted in an extravagant use of land, according to Lu.

　　But the standard itself fails to meet the increasing demand, according to Qiao.

　　Every year, an estimated 100,000 new graves are dug in the city.

　　The figure will soar to 120,000 in 2010 and 160,000 in 2020, which will place even more pressure on cemeteries.

　　"And in 80 years, some 6 million of the city's current registered residents will die," said Qiao.

　　To sustain the effective recycling of all burial land, the city must cut its lease period and allocate another 200 hectares of land for graves, according to Qiao.

　　"We should first expand the existing cemeteries, and build new ones only when it is really necessary," said Qiao,

　　"As most Chinese consider it unlucky to live near cemeteries, construction of more new cemeteries will leave more land unused."

　　And Qiao advocates more space-saving and environment-friendly burials like burials at sea.