Mountain Top Cemeteries of Hong Kong

Did you know within and around the city of Hong Kong are cemeteries built on the tops of mountains. On this episode, we take you on a journey to the peaks where Hong Kong’s loved ones rest.

The cemeteries of hong kong are built on the tops of mountains, now the reason for this is so that deceased loved ones can be as close as possible to the sky or heaven. Now the cemetery was originally built at the top of the mountain and worked their way down as they needed more space but by the 1970s they were running out of land in Hong Kong. They are no longer building anymore of these cemeteries, but the ones that stand are impressive and they are permanent.

Loved ones of the deceased will come to the gravesite a few times a year to pay their respects to their lost family member. Gravestones are first washed clean, all debris is removed and the grave is prepared for the offerings. The offerings are usually in the form of fake, money, red pockets, even fake clothing and real food. The offerings are given to the lost family member by burning them in a tin at the gravesite. Food brought to the grave is usually favorites foods of the deceased. Now there are multiple of these cemeteries in Hong Kong. This one shown here is from the Tseung Kwan O Chinese Permanent Cemetery.

Now you must be wondering, how do they move the tombstones and caskets up and down these stairs as they can weigh 100s of pounds. They have special vehicle that can drive up the stairs for the tomb and for everything else it’s brought up by hand. Now getting a grave plot is complicated and expensive. The public cemetery only allows one to rest there for 6 years before being cremated and making room for someone new. A plot on the mountain can be rented for a maximum of 10 years at a cost of $1000 per year afterwards the remains will be cremated.

Land shortages in the 1970’s in Hong Kong forced a ban on new burial sites so if you’re looking for a permanent spot on the mountain it’s only possible through 1 of 2 ways. 1 you are a member of a church that has a plot, which at one point was free now they are rare and cost around $400,000 or 2 someone already on the mountain is removed and cremated and the plot is sold, for around $30,000 which is incredibly rare. Many have opted to have family member rest in nearby Shenzhen, which is a part of mainland China, at a cost of $65,000.

In Chinese tradition it is preferred to have a burial spot for the body but due to lack of land in Hong Kong many are turning to cremation. Cremated remains are often stored at public columbarium, which is a structure that just houses urns. There are more than 22,000 people on the waiting list just to get their urns added at a cost of $3000 each. For $129,000 an urn can be added to a privately owned crematorium with no wait. Hong Kong is the most expensive place on earth to house the living and even more expensive to house the dead.

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Music: Jonathan Wilhelmi - Ambient Mix
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