Mr. Sun Shaohua currently serves as the founding vice president of the Asian Funeral and Cemetery Association and is the founder and legal representative of Jiangxi Linquanle Funeral Co., Ltd. He has long been committed to reshaping the funeral industry through “life aesthetics” and to promoting the deep integration of green funerals, technological application, and cultural inheritance. He is an innovative representative in China’s funeral field who combines local practice with an international perspective.

Sun Shaohua began his career at Jiangxi Tianxian Jingzang Equipment Co., Ltd., where he was exposed early to funeral equipment and related industries. In 2009, he co-founded Guangzhou Tianling Funeral Ceremony Services Co., Ltd. and Guangzhou Tianxian Funeral Supplies Co., Ltd., gradually moving into the core segments of funeral services. Through years of frontline practice, he became keenly aware of the pain points of traditional funeral services: formulaic processes, homogenized products, and cold spaces, which make it difficult to meet the emotional needs of people in the new era for “peace for the deceased.” It was this questioning that prompted him to return to his hometown of Zhangshu, Jiangxi, in 2019, where he founded Jiangxi Linquanle Funeral Co., Ltd. He explicitly set out the purpose of “sharing the government’s burdens, solving problems for the people, and seeking benefits for society,” and established “life aesthetics” as the company’s core philosophy.

Under his leadership, Linquanle has broken the cold model of traditional funerals and introduced innovations such as family-oriented services, AI emotion recognition, and smart vigil systems, making services warmer. On the product side, the company integrates intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship with modern techniques and has developed ecological memorial monuments, embroidered burial garments, biodegradable ritual offerings, and more, respecting tradition while responding to the call of green development. In 2024, Sun Shaohua went to Japan for further study, systematically learning advanced funeral management and service concepts and obtaining relevant certificates. This further broadened his international vision and laid a solid foundation for Linquanle’s international development.

In March 2025, in an interview with China Entrepreneur Daily, Sun Shaohua pointed out that the funeral industry will develop in the direction of integrating cultural inheritance and technological innovation, making farewells full of dignity and hope. Today, as vice president of the Asian Funeral and Cemetery Association, he is focusing even more on regional cooperation and the improvement of industry standards. Regarding this trust, he said: “This is not only an affirmation of my years of exploration and that of my company, but also a heavy responsibility. I have the opportunity to join hands with peers across Asia to jointly promote the funeral industry’s shift from ‘cold processes’ to ‘life aesthetics.’”

With this goal in mind, he proposed four key directions for future advancement:

First, deepen industry exchanges within Asia. Funeral customs vary by region, ethnicity, and belief, but reverence for life and the pursuit of dignity are common to all. He hopes to build more dialogue platforms through the association so that practitioners from different countries and regions can share experience, inspire one another, and jointly improve service levels.

Second, promote the deep integration of technology and the humanities. From smart vigils to digital memorial halls, from AI emotional companionship to virtual memorial spaces, technology is reshaping the form of funerals. He believes that we should not resist change but guide it, so that technology serves emotion and innovation protects tradition.

Third, advocate green funerals and the humanized upgrading of cemetery supporting facilities. Sun Shaohua particularly emphasizes that the focus of cemetery construction lies not in the grand narrative of overall planning, but in the refinement and humanistic care of supporting design. Specifically, this includes accessible grave-visiting passages, eco-friendly parking lots, landscaped memorial spaces, rainwater collection and greening irrigation systems, wayfinding and signage systems, rest and waiting areas, convenience service points, and so on. These supporting facilities may seem like details, but they directly affect every family member’s grave-visiting experience and environmental sustainability. He advocates implementing the green concept in every aspect of cemetery supporting facilities, so that “peace for the deceased” and “continuity for the living” go hand in hand without conflict.

Fourth, cultivate industry talent and life education. He believes that funeral practitioners should not merely be “people who handle affairs,” but also guardians of life stories and companions in grief counseling. It is necessary to promote professional training, qualification certification, and life education across Asia, so that this profession gains the respect and professionalism it deserves.

Sun Shaohua’s practice reflects a microcosm of the era in which China’s funeral industry is transforming from “extensive operation” to “quality service.” He once said emotionally: “Funerals are not the end, but a new starting point for cultural inheritance and emotional connection. In my capacity as vice president, I am willing to be a pragmatic promoter, a humble learner, and a sincere service provider, and together with colleagues, to make farewell no longer only sorrowful, but also full of memory, warmth, and hope.” His exploration is not only the growth story of a company, but also an industry experiment concerning the dignity of life, cultural inheritance, and sustainable development. At the end of life, he is striving to light a warm lamp.