「云南上千村民反强制火葬，与政府抢尸队发生冲突（2025.11.05)」周三，云南省昭通市镇雄县中屯镇青山村发生村民护棺示威事件。上千周边村镇的村民自发聚集在一起，联合抵制当地政府强制推行的火葬政策，阻止政府人员带走逝者遗体，并最终成功为逝者举行了土葬。在抗议过程中，村民与政府人员一度发生冲突。
事件起因于镇雄县政府近期推行的一项极具争议的“强制火葬”政策，要求所有去世的村民必须进行火葬。该政策一经实施，立即引发当地村民强烈反对。村民表示，土葬是他们世代传承的丧葬传统，承载着深厚的文化与情感，不应被“一刀切”地取缔。许多村民还担忧火葬费用高昂，而镇雄政府此前并未就相关费用或墓地安置等作出明确承诺。
不过，民意显然并非中共施政的优先考量。在村民的反对声中，当地政府却以极为强硬的方式推进着该火葬政策，甚至不惜作出将已埋葬的逝者遗体从坟墓中偷走并私自火化的恶行。在与青山村相邻的中屯镇头屯村，近日便发生一起掘墓偷尸事件，一位村民于近日去世后，其家属为防止遗体被强行火化，特意将遗体埋在邻近的贵州毕节大河乡。让家属没想到的是，即便这样，在仅五天后，坟墓还是被挖开，遗体也不翼而飞。随后家属接到殡仪馆电话，被要求前往“处理后续事宜”。
11月5日，为了逝者的遗体能够顺利下葬，上千名村民自发从周边村镇聚集到了青山村。当地政府闻讯后，立即派出了大量政府人员进村，试图阻止土葬，并抢走逝者遗体，他们在土葬队伍必经的路上，组成多道人墙进行拦截。
埋葬仪式开始后，女性村民与政府人员曾短暂对峙。随后，大量青壮年村民便抬棺强行冲卡。现场视频显示，送葬队伍声势浩大，高喊“坚决不火葬”等口号，轻易的就突破了由政府人员组成的人墙。由于村民人数和力量占绝对优势，政府人员在被冲散后，也不敢有过激举动。之后，村民如法炮制，又瓦解了数次政府人员的拦阻行动，最终成功将逝者下葬。
下葬后，为防止政府人员“偷尸”，死者家属又连续数日轮流守在墓地周边进行看护。
反对强制火葬的事件近年来屡有发生。仅在2024年，与镇雄临近的贵州省金沙县和平塘县，就曾发生过两起大规模反对强制火葬的运动。最终，这两起抗议都取得了成功，迫使地方政府放弃了强制火葬政策。
Over a Thousand Villagers in Yunnan Clash with Government “Corpse Retrieval Teams” Over Forced Cremation Policy (Nov 5, 2025)
On Wednesday, a large protest broke out in Qingshan Village, Zhongtun Town, Zhenxiong County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province, where over a thousand villagers gathered to resist the local government’s policy of forced cremation. Villagers from surrounding towns joined together to block government personnel from seizing the body of a deceased resident and ultimately succeeded in burying the deceased according to traditional customs. During the protest, clashes erupted between villagers and government officials.
The incident was triggered by a highly controversial “mandatory cremation” policy recently introduced by the Zhenxiong County government, which requires all deceased residents to be cremated. The policy has sparked widespread outrage among locals, who argue that earth burials are an ancestral tradition deeply tied to their cultural and emotional heritage, and should not be abolished through a one-size-fits-all directive. Many villagers also expressed concern over the high costs associated with cremation, noting that the government had provided no clear financial assistance or guarantees regarding cremation fees or burial arrangements.
However, public opinion appears to hold little weight under the Chinese Communist Party’s governance priorities. Despite widespread opposition, local authorities have been aggressively enforcing the policy—reportedly even going so far as to exhume and cremate bodies that had already been buried. In one particularly shocking case in Toutun Village, near Qingshan, a family, fearing forced cremation, buried their deceased relative across the border in Dahe Township, Bijie City, Guizhou Province. Yet, just five days later, the grave was found dug up and the body missing. The family later received a call from the local funeral home instructing them to come “handle the follow-up procedures.”
On November 5, over a thousand villagers again gathered in Qingshan Village to ensure that another deceased resident could be buried peacefully. In response, local authorities deployed a large number of officials to the village to block the burial procession and seize the body, setting up multiple human barricades along the route.
When the burial ceremony began, several women confronted the officials in a tense standoff. Moments later, a group of young men carrying the coffin broke through the blockade. Video footage shows the massive funeral procession chanting slogans such as “No to forced cremation!” as they pushed past government lines. Outnumbered and overpowered, the officials quickly dispersed and did not attempt further confrontation. Villagers then dismantled several more lines of obstruction before successfully completing the burial.
After the burial, the deceased’s family members took turns guarding the gravesite for several days to prevent government personnel from exhuming the body.
Incidents of resistance against forced cremation have been increasingly common in recent years. In 2024 alone, two major protests took place in the neighboring Guizhou provinces of Jinsha and Pingtang, where villagers successfully pressured local governments to abandon mandatory cremation policies.