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A Chinese couple who came to the United States a long way did not return home for several years because of identity problems. After the sudden death of his wife the ashes could not be sent by post. In the end, Lu Jun personally escorted them back to China and completed the handover.
a pairSugar coupleroute When I arrived in the United States, I did not return to my hometown for several years because I was worried that it would be difficult to enter the country after returning to China. Recently a young wife unfortunately died, and her last wish was to have her ashes returned to her hometown. So, her husband traveled back and forth, and eventually entrusted the task of taking his wife’s ashes back to her hometown to someone else.
los angeles Chinese Lu Jun visited China in September this year. He unexpectedly received a request. Someone asked if he could bring his wife’s ashes back to China. Lu Jun said that the customer was a line traveller. His wife, who was about 30 years old, died suddenly. “It is appropriate that the husband should personally send his wife’s ashes back to her hometown, but due to difficulties he had no option but to go back.”
The Chinese husband initially wanted to send the ashes back, but faced obstacles everywhere. Courier companies like UPS and FedEx do not provide ash transportation services. Later, they learned that USPS could send the ashes, but the package was eventually returned. According to the USPS official manual, China’s mailing regulations explicitly list “cremation ashes” as prohibited items. Although USPS allows international mailing of ashes under certain conditions, the premise is that the destination country does not prohibit receipt.
Unable to send his wife’s ashes back, the man concerned can only ask someone to take them back to China and be willing to pay for them. This was the first time that Lu Jun received such a special request to bring luggage, and he began to feel a little uneasy, “I’m not afraid, and I don’t have any taboos in my mind about ashes, but I’m not familiar with the process, and I’m worried about accidents on the road, and customs won’t allow it.”
Lu Jun then inquired about the relevant requirements for the export of ashes, air travel, and entry into China, and thought he might as well give it a try. “I originally planned to go to China. While helping others fulfill their wishes, I could also earn some money to offset part of the travel expenses.” According to the regulations, before the trip, Lu Jun required the customer to prepare the death certificate of the deceased, cremation certificate and personal information, and also provided customer information, power of attorney and documents proving the relationship between the parties as husband and wife.
When departing, Lu Jun placed the urn in his carry-on luggage. When he checked in at LAX and went through security, he proactively informed the staff that he was carrying his ashes. According to Lu Jun, security personnel asked him to take out the urn and open the outer packaging for inspection. Then they used a detection method similar to wiping the surface of the luggage for inspection, and then confirmed it through equipment. “Although the entire safety inspection process was cumbersome, it was very fast and no accidents occurred.”
On the plane, Lu Jun placed the urn on the luggage rack above the seat. He said that because it was packed in an ordinary suitcase, it did not attract the attention of nearby passengers. After arriving at the Chinese airport, Lu Jun went through the special declaration channel and took the initiative to declare to customs that he was carrying ashes with him. The admission process was equally easy. After arriving at the airport, the family of the deceased had been waiting for a long time, and the handover was successful. “They also gave me a red envelope. I’m very grateful.”
After returning to Los Angeles, Lu Jun shared his experience of sending ashes on social media. Unexpectedly, many people asked about it, and pointed out that many people around him had similar needs. One of them revealed that a family member had died the previous year, and efforts to transport the ashes back to China had hit obstacles. Finally, Chinese family members went to the United States to take back the ashes.
Summary FAQ
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Both traveled to the United States via the direct route and had no legal status. He was worried that it would be difficult to enter the country after returning to China, so he did not dare to return home for several years. After his wife passed away, her husband was unable to personally carry the ashes due to the same difficulties, so he had to find someone else to help.
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The husband first wanted to send the ashes back by express delivery, but neither UPS nor FedEx provided services to transport the ashes. Later, they switched to USPS, but because China’s mailing regulations clearly stated that cremated ashes are prohibited items, the package was finally returned.
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Lu Jun first found out the exit, aviation and entry regulations, asked the other party to prepare a death certificate, cremation certificate and authorization documents, and then put the urn in his carry-on luggage. LAX security check and China Customs declaration went smoothly, and it was eventually successfully handed over to the family.
