美公司推木乃伊安葬 全球逾1500人预订

These are the modern day mummies. Already, more than 1500 people across the world have contacted Summum, the world’s only mummification company, to be mummified after they die.

The company based in Salt Lake City, Utah have revealed that their clientele includes celebrities, from all over the world, including Britain, and added that they also cater to requests from pet owners.

Dozens of pets, including everything from dogs and cats, to peacocks, finches and even rats have undergone the traditional Egyptian burial routine.

The process takes 90 days. The organs are taken out and cleansed, then the body is hydrated for more than 70 days, submerged in a tank.

Then it is covered with lanolin and wax, followed by layers of cotton gauze and a fibre glass finish. The body is then encased in a steel or bronze casket.

Ron Temu, who works at Summum’s appropriately pyramid-shaped building as a counsellor for clients, said: ‘The chemicals we use are so permeable that if a drop was put on the hand, just seconds later it can be tasted in the mouth.

‘The olden day mummies look very dry and that’s because it was believed the best way to preserve them for the afterlife was to completely dehydrate them. We do the opposite and believe that hydrating the body fully is the best way to preserve it.

‘That's why the bodies will still look like the day they died - even thousands of years later.’

But the process isn’t cheap. Cats cost £3,600 and dogs at £15,000. Human mummification costs approximately £40,000.

Summum have already mummified human beings but their progress has been checked after 18 months and then state law says that as they have been opened, they must be incinerated.

But many are signed up to be mummified in the future - and the company says it has tremendous implications for cloning. It is feasible that DNA could be removed at a later date by drilling into the casket.

Mr Temu said: ‘Being able to take out DNA at a later date has real appeal for people. People like the idea of being able to clone themselves.

‘We have a lot of people signed up to be mummified. They signed up in their 30’s and 40’s, and are now in their 50’s and 60’s, so we have a lot of work ahead of us.’

(Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

双语资讯

(Agencies)

美国萨门公司推出全新安葬方式：把尸体制成“现代木乃伊”。全球已经有1500多人联系这家独一无二的木乃伊安葬公司，预订死后的木乃伊安葬服务。

该公司位于美国犹他州盐湖城。该公司介绍称客户中有来自全球的名人，其中也包括英国。同时公司也为宠物主人提供宠物木乃伊服务。

已有数十只宠物，不仅包括猫狗，还有孔雀、雀鸟，甚至老鼠，都已经按照传统的埃及木乃伊殉葬流程予以安葬。

木乃伊制作过程需要90天。工作人员先把内脏掏出并清洗干净，然后把尸体放在水槽里，用水合物药液浸泡70天。

然后，工作人员在尸体表面涂上羊毛脂和蜡，随后用层层纱布裹好，并用玻璃纤维封好，最后放进钢或铜制的棺材里。

萨门公司的客户咨询朗•特穆说：“我们选用的药液渗透性极强。如果滴一滴在手心，几秒钟后，嘴巴里就能尝到味道。”萨门公司的办公楼外形酷似一座金字塔。

“古代木乃伊看起来很干燥，那是因为当时人们认为，彻底脱水是保存尸体的最好办法。而我们采用相反的方式。我们认为，让尸体充分保湿才最好。”

“因此我们制作的现代木乃伊和刚去世时一模一样，即使几千年后也是。”

但制作木乃伊价格不菲。制作一只猫木乃伊要花费3600英镑，狗则要1.5万英镑。人类木乃伊大约需要4万英镑。

萨门公司已经成功制作了一些人类木乃伊。但这些木乃伊在做完18个月后被打开检查。而根据犹他州法律规定，这些木乃伊在被打开后必须焚化。

已经有很多人与萨门公司签约，要求在死后被制成木乃伊。该公司表示，这对克隆技术也有重大意义。将来可以在棺材上钻孔从木乃伊里提取DNA。

特穆说：“能在将来提取DNA对很多人来说非常有吸引力。人们希望将来自己也能被克隆。”

“很多客户已经签约，有些人签约时才三四十岁，现在已经五六十岁。所以我们还有很多工作要做。”

Vocabulary:

cater to: 迎合，为……服务

hydrate:

lanolin: 羊毛脂