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While China’s Shandong Cao County recently gained fame for dominating Japan’s coffin market, another quiet powerhouse exists in the funeral services sector—Jiangxi Zhangshu. This small county, with a population of just 600,000, accounts for roughly 70% of China’s columbarium niche production. That means 70 out of every 100 such units nationwide originate from here.
Among these manufacturers, Jiangxi Tianxian stands out. It was the first company in Zhangshu to enter the columbarium niche factory business and remains the world’s only manufacturer capable of producing 100,000 niches per month. Its reputation is such that it became the supplier for Beijing’s renowned Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery.
Through 18 years of dedicated effort, Jiangxi Tianxian has transformed what many considered a “sunset industry” into a vibrant and growing field. There’s a saying within the industry:
“What Tianxian sells is not just products—it’s 18 years of accumulated insight.”
So what makes these insights so valuable? Today, I’d like to share some hard-won lessons from nearly two decades in this business.
A basic ash storage niche can be manufactured for as little as ¥100. Once installed in a temple underground palace (地宫), that same unit often sells for ¥10,000 or more—representing a markup of 10,000%.
Sales commissions are extremely high, often reaching 50% or more, due to a shortage of qualified sales teams.
Even with high commissions, many sales teams still struggle to profit, leading to further inflated incentive structures.
Hidden costs include land use rights granted by temples, construction, interior finishing, and the columbarium niche design and production. Additional unofficial fees often add another 30-40% in costs.
Although the net margin may still appear high (around 10x), operational expenses such as staff salaries, utilities, religious ceremonies, transportation for visitors, and promotional gifts eat significantly into profits.
The biggest challenge is occupancy rates. It’s not uncommon to see rates as low as 2%, making many projects financially unviable despite high per-unit margins.
Most temple visitors seek blessings for health or prosperity—not end-of-life planning. Cultural avoidance of death remains pervasive.
The target customer segment—people over 70—is often financially cautious. Withdrawing ¥10,000 from an elderly person’s savings can feel like an overwhelming hurdle.
Affluent individuals often prefer traditional gravesites, which carry higher social status.
Directly discussing death remains taboo, making sales conversations difficult.
Traditional temple-goers include deeply devout individuals (a small group) and occasional visitors. Neither are easy converts to columbarium purchases.
Many projects overestimate the conversion rate of temple visitors and end up relying on external sales agents to attract elderly customers.
Many blame government policies for the failure of underground palace projects, but the reality is that most were already struggling due to fundamental market misalignments.
It’s clear that the traditional model is broken. But what if we reimagined the concept entirely?
Historically, underground palaces stored relics, scriptures, treasures, and cultural artifacts—not ashes. We propose a return to that original spirit.
Key Features:
Tangible merit recording: Donors receive physical certificates of contribution via self-service printing systems.
Wish ritualization: Visitors inscribe prayers and vows onto prayer plates, which are stored and blessed during ceremonies.
Preservation of spiritual activities: Records of sutra copying, meditation, statues, and life stories are stored in various media formats.
Creating lasting bonds between donors and temples through personalized, meaningful engagement.
How It’s Different:
No ash storage → avoids policy restrictions and cultural resistance.
No “sales” in the traditional sense → focus on lifelong spiritual engagement.
Replaces commercial atmosphere with community-building and sacred experiences.
Instead of cold storage for remains, we create a warm environment celebrating a person’s life and legacy.
Core Idea:
Preserve personal histories through photographs, letters, diplomas, marriage certificates, awards, writings, and voice or video recordings. Each life becomes a story—honored, displayed, and inherited.
This approach shifts the focus from death to life, offering families a meaningful way to celebrate and preserve their loved ones’ legacies.
As an industry insider specializing in columbarium niche factory production and innovative columbarium niche design, I’ve seen many investors struggle with outdated models. My goal isn’t to discourage investment—it’s to promote smarter, more sustainable approaches.
By learning from history and re-centering on human values rather than purely commercial interests, we can create spaces that people truly want—spaces that honor life, legacy, and spiritual meaning.
If you’re interested in learning more about these concepts or want to hear more reflections from my 18 years in the industry, feel free to reach out. Let’s work together to redefine what this industry can be.
Written by: A seasoned expert in columbarium niche design and manufacturing
Date: September 21, 2025
