Chinese cemetery in the Philippines: the annual payment is 5. 1 10,000 square meters, and the facilities are comparable to "luxury houses".

What do you think of when you mention the cemetery?

Solemn, solemn, full of sadness ...

However, there is such a place that not only regards the cemetery as a tourist attraction, but also claims to be a must-see for local tourism. At first glance, it's a little different.

This cemetery is the overseas Chinese Yishan cemetery in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.

The periphery of this cemetery is surrounded by high walls, with spacious roads and green spaces. Looking around, there are "villas" with different styles everywhere.

From the appearance alone, it is difficult to connect it with the cemetery.

According to local people, this cemetery has a history of 150 years. Because of its luxury, it is also called "Millionaire Street" or "Little Beverly Hills" (a world-famous residential area for the rich).

In addition, it is also known as "the most luxurious Chinese cemetery in the world" and is also the exclusive cemetery for Chinese.

"If you haven't been to Millionaire Street, then you haven't been to Manila." This sentence is enough to prove the local status of overseas Chinese Yishan cemetery.

Walking into the overseas Chinese Yishan cemetery, the biggest feeling is that it is more like a high-end residential area far from the market than a cemetery. Not only the road signs are complete, the regional planning is clear, the houses are scattered and the architectural appearance is very elegant.

There are not only common quadrangle buildings in southern China, but also the gatehouse design of ancient palaces and houses with obvious religious characteristics.

Compared with the gorgeous appearance, it is even more surprising that the interior of these buildings is equipped with a full set of modern facilities, including air conditioners, toilets, refrigerators, chandeliers, elevators and other household appliances, and the living conditions are even better than those of the living.

This makes people curious about the "occupancy" standard and "rental" cost of overseas Chinese Yishan cemetery.

What kind of people are qualified to be buried here? What is its charging standard?

To understand the above problems, we must first understand the construction history of overseas Chinese Yishan cemetery.

However, this history is not as beautiful as the appearance of Yishan, an overseas Chinese. On the contrary, it is full of blood and tears of overseas Chinese in the Philippines.

Yishan, an overseas Chinese, was built in the 1950s of 19, with an initial area of only 20 hectares. Through the efforts and fund-raising of overseas Chinese in the Philippines, it has now expanded to 526,700 square meters.

Today, it is not only the second ancient cemetery in Manila, but also the largest and oldest Chinese cemetery in the world.

However, behind such a significant cemetery is a history full of blood and tears.

At that time, the Philippines was in the Spanish colonial period, and a plague broke out in China. Many overseas Chinese in the Philippines were unfortunately "recruited" and died in a foreign land.

Because of their beliefs, the bodies of these China people were "rejected" by the local Catholic cemetery and had to be buried hastily.

However, China people always pay attention to decency, they can't leave leaves after death, and there is no decent cemetery for burial, which is really unacceptable. Therefore, the surviving overseas Chinese decided to gather together and begged the authorities to approve China people to build their own cemeteries.

After many twists and turns, the authorities finally agreed.

The original overseas Chinese Yishan is no different from the general cemetery, just some stone tablets engraved with names and stone chambers for storing urns.

After the outbreak of World War II, the Philippines was occupied by Japan.

Many Filipino soldiers in China did not sit still like the locals, but chose to stand up and fight the invaders to the end.

After their heroic sacrifice, local China compatriots buried their bones in overseas Chinese Yishan with a heavy heart.

After the war, in order to express their nostalgia for the martyrs, Chinese in the Philippines not only raised funds to renovate the cemetery, but also erected monuments and memorial archways for the martyrs, such as the Heroes Memorial Archway and the Martyrs Hall.

As a result, a mountain, an overseas Chinese, also gradually had today's style.

Many overseas Chinese in the Philippines said that Yishan, an overseas Chinese, is so richly dressed, mainly to make up for the regret that old friends can't "find their roots".

At the same time, these overseas Chinese also firmly believe that the more luxurious the graves of ancestors are, the greater the protection for future generations.

Looking back on the construction history of overseas Chinese Yishan, it is not difficult to find that it not only reflects the oppression and discrimination suffered by overseas Chinese in the Philippines, but also reflects the spirit of Chinese people who dare to struggle and strive for self-improvement.

Nowadays, there are not only revolutionary martyrs but also Chinese who have made outstanding contributions to the Philippines, such as Li Qingquan, a businessman who founded the Bank of China.

However, after Yishan, an overseas Chinese, is turned into a tourist attraction by the authorities, this cemetery will no longer accept the "occupancy" of the dead China people, even if there is no money.

Although you can't stay, you are still allowed to sacrifice.

Therefore, whenever the Philippine Day of the Dead or Tomb-Sweeping Day or China, many overseas Chinese, politicians and businessmen gather in Yishan, an overseas Chinese, to pay homage to their ancestors and remember the martyrs.

According to the introduction of overseas Chinese who came to worship their ancestors, the land price of Yishan, an overseas Chinese, was 15000 pesos per square meter, equivalent to RMB 20 17.5 yuan. After paying the rent for 25 years (about 50,000 yuan per square meter), it is possible to break ground to build a "residence" for the deceased.

After the lease expires, the family members still have to pay the renewal rent at the price of per square meter 1400 pesos (equivalent to RMB 188 yuan), otherwise the ashes of the ancestors will be moved to the public cemetery by the staff.

Although the public cemetery is free, the environment is extremely simple.

Roughly speaking, the "magnificent" cemetery is not the construction cost, and 25 years' rent alone is enough to buy a suite in an ordinary city in China.

Sure enough, poverty limited my imagination.

Anyone who has traveled will feel "rich and willful".

In addition, even the Filipino people who are used to it will feel incredible about the choice of these overseas Chinese in the Philippines.

Some overseas Chinese will not only buy cemeteries at high prices, but also hire people to guard their own cemeteries. The electrical appliances in the building are not furnishings, but operate 24 hours a day.

When they saw so many local residents living around overseas Chinese Yishan, these Filipinos no longer just lamented the "richness" of overseas Chinese Yishan.

Some people say that it is ironic that the living are in such a difficult situation while the dead are living so well. It is better to save people than to have money to build a cemetery for the dead.

In fact, there are three main reasons why the Philippine public can make such a sound:

First, the gap between the local rich and the poor is large; There is a picture on the Zhihu, which clearly shows how big the gap between the rich and the poor is: the rich are sitting in decent and modern high-rise buildings overlooking the city, while the poor are looking up at the sky in shabby and crowded slums.

Second, the attitude of Filipinos towards death is diametrically opposed to that of China; They think that death is the beginning of getting rid of human suffering and is worth celebrating. After the dead go to heaven, it is meaningless to spend too much money in the graveyard on earth.

Thirdly, the Filipino people ignored the local contributions made by China people along the way, and also ignored the hardships of China people taking root in the Philippines.

It can be said that the construction history of the whole overseas Chinese Yishan cemetery is the epitome of the hard work of Chinese in the Philippines.

Plague and war did not defeat them, nor did discrimination and poverty make them give up. They won the recognition of the authorities with their own hands and wisdom and lived an ideal life.

But nowadays, people only see the superficial scenery of Chinese in the Philippines, but ignore the blood and tears behind their scenery.

This also reflects from the side that overseas Chinese seem to have both fame and fortune, but their hearts have been tortured by the incomprehension of people around them and the regret of not being able to "return home", which has long been scarred. Sparse text/film