When Life Education Crosses Borders, A Gentle Path of Care
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By Admin
For many, funeral service work seems to occur only at the final chapter of life. Yet in recent years, the Xiao En Group has been steadily reminding society that funerary services are not merely about life’s end — they can also be the starting point and awakened essence of life education and life care.
Looking back over its recent trajectory, Xiao En has been invited abroad almost annually to engage with academic institutions, peers in funeral care, and organizations devoted to life care support. These outward exchanges are more than networking — they are deliberate, grounded steps in a life-affirming practice that seeks shared understanding of human dignity across cultures and systems.
Since 2023, Xiao En has been invited to Taiwan to engage with scholars and industry leaders in the Taiwan Funeral Industry Summit. In 2024, the group contributed to Singapore’s Grief and Bereavement Conference, where participants from academic, medical, and care sectors listened and learned from one another. These international experiences later became the context that allowed many of Xiao En’s practices to be better understood and trusted.
By the end of 2025, this cross-border dialogue had extended to mainland China. In late September, Xiao En was invited to Changsha, Hunan to collaborate with the Changsha Social Work College in a series of Malaysia – China Life Culture Exchange Programme.
Discussions began with Life Culture and Life Education forum, covering life education at all levels — from elementary and secondary schooling to tertiary institutions — as well as community care, health care practices, funeral services, and policy advocacy. The conversations went beyond methodology to probe a central question: “ Does the funeral industry bear a responsibility to proactively engage in life education? ”
Xiao En’s response was measured yet unwavering: “Not because we should, but because we must.”
The exchange extended beyond formal forums. Xiao En’s life education team also stepped into classrooms at the institute’s funeral college, sharing lived experiences from years of practice and their reflections on “living toward death.” Across spaces ranging from embalming instruction and body care to ceremonial halls and life education exhibition areas, both sides learned from one another through teaching and practice.
Another significant segment of the visit was in-depth dialogue with local funeral professionals, covering topics such as funeral service management, innovations in cremation technology, sustainable and eco-friendly product design, and human-centered architectural practice. The emphasis throughout was not on competitive advantage, but on respecting the individual within the advancement of systems and technologies.
Later in November, Xiao En again traveled to Changsha for the China Funeral Industry Conference. At this international life culture gathering, funeral professionals from the United States, South America, China, and other regions came together in one place. For the first time, the conference extended special invitations to overseas funeral professionals and educators to share practical experience. As one of the Malaysia’s representative, Xiao En spoke about its long-standing practice of life education — a path that has withstood the test of time, transforming lofty concepts into tangible action.
That 30-minute presentation ignited questions and discussions across national industries — and, perhaps more importantly, it gathered momentum. A month later, a formal invitation arrived from China Civil Affairs University to explore structured school–enterprise research and learning collaborations.
Reflecting on 2025, Xiao En’s international footprint reveals a steady, responsive practice of life-oriented engagement. From Taiwan and Singapore to Changsha, these cross-border dialogues point toward a shared core: how life can be treated with kindness, and farewells conducted with deeper humanity. Walking steadily without fanfare, Xiao En demonstrates that life education — nurtured through patient, respectful engagement — can indeed be seen and embraced more broadly.
This Original article first appeared in《 PUMEN普门 》magazine. [ Click Here ]
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