The Interview & Xiao En Group Present “Echoes of Life” – Learning Life & Death Education Together

What is your imagination of death?
Is it attending a solemn farewell ceremony, visiting the cemetery with family during Qingming, or reading about tragedies in the news? For most people, this is the extent of what “death” means.

But there is a group of people whose work begins precisely at the moment a life ends.

If one day, you could step into this profession — not just to see what a funeral looks like or to burn incense at a graveyard, but to truly understand the expertise behind it, to listen to how they serve the departed, and to learn how they carry the weight of life — would you be willing?

Starting from August 2025, The Interview will be collaborating with Xiao En Group to launch a brand-new column — “ Echoes of Life ”. Every month, the column will introduce different professionals from the funeral industry and share their stories as Life Practitioners. Through these articles, readers will gain insights into the many facets of funeral professionalism — including family care services, clinical care, bereavement care, park management, as well as grief counselling and support.

Established in 1987, Xiao En Group is one of Malaysia’s leading integrated bereavement care service enterprises. At the same time, Xiao En Memorial Park in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, is Malaysia’s first government-approved privatized modern landscaped memorial park.

Xiao En is dedicated to providing holistic life care services, upholding the principle of treating the departed with the same respect as the living. Beyond accompanying bereaved families through grief and offering grief counselling to the Malaysian community, Xiao En actively engages in social care and promotes life-and-death education.

For generations, elders often avoided speaking about death, and society has long been shrouded in the belief that “death equals negativity.” Yet death is an inseparable part of life. With proper guidance, when the time comes to face death, we will not be left only with helplessness and despair.

There are many imaginations and stereotypes surrounding the funeral industry. What people often forget is this: death is part of life, and those who serve in this field are no different from professionals in any other industry. Every profession meets a need, and the funeral profession is no exception.

One day, if you are given the chance to listen to the stories of these Life Practitioners, lend them your ears—and give yourself the opportunity to discover a field you may have never stepped into before.

For more, stay connected with Xiao En and “The Interview” as we journey with you in learning the lessons of life and death.

This Original article first appeared in《 The Interview 》. [ Click Here ]