Many people perceive investing in temple columbariums as a highly profitable business—after all, a niche that costs a few hundred yuan to produce can be sold for tens of thousands, attracting numerous investors with the promise of hundredfold returns. However, after several years of development, few investors have actually made money. The main reason is simple: the niches aren’t selling. Here’s why:

A. One major reason for sluggish sales is that while many people visit temples, few are truly devout Buddhists.
Most temple visitors come to pray for wealth, longevity, academic success, smooth endeavors, or good health—not because they deeply believe in Buddhism.
If customers don’t truly believe in the Pure Land or the benefits of storing ashes in a Buddha Columbarium, it becomes extremely difficult to make a sale.

B. The traditional belief of “resting in peace through burial” remains deeply ingrained.
Even when burial is an option, many still prefer it over purchasing a niche. Moreover, with current regulations requiring a cremation certificate before a grave can be purchased, public cemeteries are no longer as scarce as they once were.

C. Promoting columbarium niches contradicts the purpose of a temple visit.
Worshippers come to temples to pray for blessings and peace, while selling niches inevitably involves discussions about death—a topic most Chinese avoid. Often, salespeople are cut off before they can even begin, losing any chance of making a sale.

D. The selling points of these niches are problematic:
They are marketed as affordable, yet many worshippers aren’t concerned about cost. They are also promoted as a way to pray for blessings and reach the Pure Land, but such concepts feel too abstract and unbelievable—both to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.

E. While the profit margins seem high, after accounting for approval costs, sales expenses, temple fees, and complimentary gifts, very little remains.

On February 19, 2016, nine ministries including the Ministry of Civil Affairs jointly issued the Guiding Opinions on Promoting Land-Saving Ecological Burial, which took effect immediately.
The document encourages eco-friendly ash interment methods that use little to no land in cremation zones, and promotes vertical storage methods such as buildings, corridors, halls, pagodas, and walls in densely populated areas. It also advocates for smaller, more efficient graves that minimize land use and hardening, and encourages family joint burials to improve space utilization.

From a policy perspective, the industry appears to have government support. However, temple columbarium promotions have never gained market acceptance. In fact, since the second half of 2018, columbariums across the country have been shut down.

A key reason is that most columbariums are not developed by the temples themselves, but by external investors. This commercial involvement has led to increasing commercialization of temples.

The policy clearly states:

1. Buddhist and Taoist sites are non-profit entities. Commercial capital is strictly prohibited from interfering, and no organization or individual may invest in or operate these sites.

2. No organization or individual may use Buddhism or Taoism for profit-driven activities. Scenic spots centered around religious sites must not charge high entry fees, and the construction of new religious-themed cultural sites will be tightly controlled.

Additionally, two other reasons contributed to the 2018 crackdown:

1. Although some claimed columbariums were taking business away from public cemeteries, this argument doesn’t hold—most temple columbariums have occupancy rates below 1%, so they hardly pose a threat.

2. Many columbariums are located near villages, leading to increased funeral vehicle traffic. This caused disputes between temples and villagers, and in some cases, roads were blocked.

3. The high profits and sales commissions led some salespeople to use unethical tactics, often misleading elderly buyers who later felt cheated. This created additional social and governmental challenges.

In my opinion, points 2 and 3 were the real reasons behind the large-scale shutdowns.

So where do new opportunities lie?
While the temple columbarium path may be blocked, indoor ash storage aligns with national policy—and this is a viable direction. After 17 years of research, we at China Jiangxi HuaHeng Columbarium Factory have developed a "Life Museum" solution.

This concept involves building large-scale indoor ash storage spaces within public cemeteries. The core of the project revolves around preserving the cultural heritage and personal legacies of clients. We shift the focus:

• From selling physical space to providing meaningful services

• From offering mere storage to preserving memories and emotions

• From delivering valuable products to creating priceless experiences

Interested? Visit our homepage for more insights!

Sales Manager: Mr. Luo