The 'Fire Roses' team in Beijing is China's sole all-female cremation service. These five women, formed in 2022, perform their duties with composure, challenging traditional gender expectations around death.

At Beijing’s Babaoshan Funeral Home, China’s only all-female cremation team works in searing heat, defying gender stereotypes while gaining a deeper understanding of life and death. The five women, whose average age is 28, carry out their duties with precision and composure, guiding the dead through their final farewell. Known as the Fire Roses, the team formed in 2022, with Yun Xiaolin as its first member. Yun had originally enrolled in a cabin crew programme at her parents’ urging, but dropped...