China on Wednesday published its first green paper on funerals and interment, as the government works to promote environmentally-friendly funerals and offer a fair public burial service.

A sea burial is held in Dalian, Liaoning province, on Sunday. [Xinhua]

The paper, released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Social Sciences Academic Press (SSAP), reviewed the development and achievements of China's burial service over the past six decades and advocated the promotion of cremation and "green burials" such as tree burial, ash sprinkling, and in-depth land burial.

"The green paper will help Chinese people develop a scientific attitude towards death, which is usually taboo in public...and is conducive to the expansion of research in civil affairs and social security," said Zou Dongtao, editor-in-chief of the SSAP.

The paper called for more public awareness programs to promote cremation and called for the establishment of a subsidy that covers funerals and interments for the needy groups both in cities and rural areas.

Currently, the government only pays a burial subsidy for civil servants and employees in enterprises and government institutions. The amount of the subsidy varies from one to several thousand yuan.

Tree burial is the practice of family members burying the ashes of their deceased relative under or near a tree. Some local governments in China have free tree burial zones in cemeteries and they are encouraging the public to adopt the burial form as they strive to conserve land resources.