Burial places

Hong Kong is very crowded by any standard—426 square miles of hilly land masses hosting a population of close to 7 million. We fight for a space of our own when we are alive, and our loved ones may still need to fight for a space for us when we are dead. I say “fight,” because I mean it.

Chinese people love to buy their own living space, instead of renting. Because space is at a premium here, housing occupies a huge percentage of people’s monthly income. Given the motivation to own their own apartment (not houses; few people in Hong Kong’s urban area can afford to own a house), people have to fight hard in life to make ends meet.

Recently, the way people “fight” in Hong Kong to get a spot for themselves or deceased family members hit the news headlines. Although burial is a Chinese tradition, nowadays it is no longer the norm. Burial land is scarce and, therefore, very costly and only for the privileged. More and more people now opt for cremation. But Chinese people believe it is not good to keep your ancestors’ ashes in your home. The forces of yin and yang will not be balanced; yin will be too strong. Urns should be kept in proper places, either in a cemetery or a columbarium (a place for the storage of cinerary urns). Public columbaria are not affiliated with any religion, but private ones are usually built and maintained in accordance with Buddhist traditions.

Because of the severe shortage of spots for urns, business-minded people have developed illegal columbaria. The problem surfaced when the government tried to put these illegal operations out of business. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to the problem, even though the government intends to build more public columbaria. Nobody wants one in their neighborhood.

When I die, I would like to donate all my tissues and organs, if they are still usable, and then have my body cremated and my ashes used to plant a tree. I don’t need a tombstone or an urn. As society becomes more liberal, discussion of life and death matters becomes less of a taboo. Many elderly Chinese people do make plans for their funerals and burials. This is a good thing, as the family will be comforted to know that they have done what their loved ones wanted.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.