火葬是人類社會葬俗形式之一。在先秦及漢以後已有關於火葬的記載。並從晚唐世俗社會開始接納火葬起，中經五代半個世紀，到宋代立國之初，火葬在民間就相當流行。北宋立國後的第三年即下令禁止火葬，不過仍有限度地允許火葬的存在，如對於僧尼、蕃人及客死他鄉遠路歸葬者並不加以禁止。 而火葬場、義塚、義阡、普同墳及漏澤園的全面設立與宋代火葬的流行有。 政府希望提供墳地給那些無力土葬者掩埋，一方面藉此戢止火葬的盛行，並革除親人死後十數年尚不得安葬，寄槥於寺僧之惡習。 火葬之俗歷宋、元、明、清而不衰，歷代政府雖屢有明文禁令，但是，火葬 不僅流行於貧窮無能礫土葬者，且被一般富有貲財及士大夫家所接納。火葬的流行，對於宋人迷信風水、陰陽之說，而停喪不葬其親長達數十年的陋習，似有其正面的意義。

　　　　　As early as the late-Tang Dynasty, the Chinese society had adopted the cremation, also as the (Later) Five Dynasties (五代 after the Tang Dynasty, 907-959 A.D.). Cremation became very popular in the beginning of Song Dynasty. Three years after Northern Song established its authority, the government had prohibited general public from adopting cremation, but a few people such as nuns and monks, uncivilized people蕃, and wanderers were allowed to adopt cremation. The establishment of crematory and Yi-Zhong [a cemetery for burying the remains of unidentified person]義塚, Yi-qian [Graceful Place]義阡 , Pu-tong-feng[All is God's Grace]普通墳, and Lo-zher Park [The Park of God's Undiscovered Grace]漏澤園 were related to the popularity of cremation in Song Dynasty. The government provided cemeteries for those people who could not afford the funeral expenses. This could stop people from adopting cremation and also prevented people from placing dead bodies in the temples. Some people even kept unburied the dead bodies in those temples for more than ten years. Cremation has since Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties been prohibited, but it has always been popular among the poor and accepted by the rich and the noble. Believing in Fengshui風水 and Yin-Yang陰陽, people in Song Dynasty were no doubt superstitious. The rite of cremation has positive influence on those vulgar funeral customs in Song Dynasty.