The Chinese Cemetery in Manila is the final resting place for the rich Chinese people looking to make a permanent afterlife statement.
Known as the ‘Beverly Hills of the dead’ The Chinese Cemetery in the Philippines is chock full of mini-mansions and humongous mausoleums with modern amenities to boot, because rich Chinese people don’t want to be buried with the rest of us, and who can blame them? It really isn’t a bad place to lay your head for the final time, after all, if you’re going to die you might as well spend eternity in a mansion. File under: things that beat cremation.
The mausoleum mansions in Manila include fully-functioning luxury kitchens and bathrooms (BUT WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO COOK NEXT TO YOUR DEAD UNCLE?), as well as bedrooms for visiting relatives. Other amenities include electricity, running water, drainage, phone lines, cell phone service, and even a restaurant. Obviously its no surprise that some relatives just can’t seem to let go, and have chosen to live in the cemetery with their dearly departed; after all, these are mansions we are talking about. Nightmares and emotional issues are included at no charge.
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The cemetery originally came about because Spanish Colonials wouldn’t let the Chinese use Catholic cemeteries (I’ll leave that right there, do with it what you will). Obviously, the rich Chinese people (and we assume the less rich ones, too) were pretty offended by this and decided to make a spectacle of their own cemetery and pay respects to their deceased relatives. Clap back, rich Chinese people, clap back. The Chinese Cemetery has since become a tourist attraction and for 200 pesos, you can buy a tour of the grounds.
