Foreigners' cemeteries undergo transformation in China (2)

A business couple from Zhejiang province bought the 37,000-square-meter tract of land in 1917 and built the cemetery for locals and foreigners without restrictions of nationality, race or family background.

Nearly 5,000 Chinese and prominent foreigners were buried in coffins, as cremation had not become widely accepted, and many of them were notable figures from cultural, artistic, political or economic circles.

But all of the graves were destroyed during the "cultural revolution" except the two for the parents of Soong Ching-ling.

"Some foreigners' graves escaped being destroyed by being moved out before the 'cultural revolution'," Li said.

After Soong died in 1981 and was buried there, the cemetery became Soong Ching-Ling Mausoleum in 1984, and the Wanguo Cemetery, which existed before the "cultural revolution", became part of it. All foreigners' graves in the city were moved to the cemetery.

"These people include sailors, chefs, photographers, bank clerks, and any other identity and profession you can imagine. They would all be over 100 years old if they were alive," said Li, of the Soong Ching-Ling Mausoleum's administration.

The graves, now totaling nearly 600, are marked by small stone squares lined up in the grass with names engraved on them. Some are engraved only with Chinese names, while others have the Chinese names and abbreviations of the people's names in their mother tongues.

"The engravings were based on the limited data available when the tombs were moved, and that also makes it hard for us to help descendants of these people to find their ancestors' graves," Li said.

A man in his 40s once came to inquire about his great-grandfather's grave, said a woman named Qin in the administrative office of Soong Ching-Ling Mausoleum.

"We were unable to find who he was looking for because he couldn't clarify the ancestor's identity and our information was incomplete," Qin said.

But these searches are not always in vain.

The grandchild of a German family in Shanghai came to the cemetery three years ago and finally found the tombs of his grandmother and one of his uncles. Qin learned some stories about the German family from him.

"He told us his grandfather moved with his wife and son to Shanghai in the 1900s and worked in a bank. They had another son in Shanghai. The older son opened a clinic and lived until the 1940s," she said.

Every year, Li said, three to five people ask help in finding their ancestors.

In December, they found the graves of four British soldiers who were among the first British troops sent to defend the international settlement in Shanghai during Japan's invasion of China in 1937, Li said.

"The men were members of the Royal Ulster Rifles, and a senior officer from HMS Daring laid a wreath at the soldiers' graves," he said.

Few descendants of these foreigners come to visit, Li said.

Cemetery workers keep the graves tidy, and on special days, such as Tomb Sweeping Day April 5, this year flowers are placed on each grave.

"A memorial hall for these people is in the works to commemorate their dedication," Li said.