Books, research and newspaper articles, other information sources as well as photo galleries on death, funerals and mourning in Hong Kong.
Books & research articles
Natacha Aveline-Dubach (ed.), «Invisible Population: The Place of the Dead in East-Asian Megacities», Lexington Books, 2012
In the specific context of East-Asian megacities, funeral rituals and practices are evolving rapidly in an attempt to conform to spatial constraints and address emerging challenges such as urban sustainability and growing social inequalities.
Elizabeth K. Teather, «Deathspace in Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Seoul; a review of recent research, 1995-2001», Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 41 (2001)
Ko Tim-Keung, «A Review of Development of Cemeteries in Hong Kong, 1841-1950», Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 41 (2001)
Dan Waters, «Chinese Funerals: A Case Study», Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 31 (1991)
B. D. Wilson, «Chinese Burial Customs in Hong Kong», Journal of the Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. 1 (1961)
Magazine & newspaper articles
10.12.2015
Kelvin Chan (Associated Press), «Überbelegte Friedhöfe: Hongkong weiss nicht wohin mit den Toten», www.bluewin.ch
27.10.2015
Ming Yeung, «Where the dead come home», www.chinadailyasia.com
Tung Wah Coffin Home in Sandy Bay was meant to be a transit point for Chinese who died abroad. For some of them, however, the wait to be buried in their native soil has stretched over decades.
23.10.2014
Yannie Chan, «Funeral Host Ryan Chan», hk-magazine.com
07.11.2013
Angela Köckritz, «Die Geisterhochzeit», Zeit Online
Ein junger Chinese stirbt, unverheiratet. Allein im Totenreich – das geht nicht, glaubt seine Familie und sucht ihm eine Frau.
02.05.2013
Kiki Elijandy, «Funeral Director Fanny Leung», hk-magazine.com
25.05.2012
«Funeral Parlours in Hung Hom, the funeral district of Hong Kong», www.detail-online.com
04.04.2012
Christian Geinitz, «China feiert Qingming: Wenn das Traumhaus in Rauch aufgeht», www.faz.net
06.04.2006
Adam White, «The A to Z of Ching Ming», hk-magazine.com
Other sources of information
«A guide to after-death arrangements in Hong Kong», in: www.fehd.gov.hk (site of the Governement of Hong Kong)
«Cemeteries and Crematoria», in: www.fehd.gov.hk (site of the Governement of Hong Kong)
«China Cemeteries», in: familysearch.org
«Hong Kong Funeral Industry: Its Transformations and Inheritance», Po Kok Secondary School student project (2009)
Source of artistic inspiration
Manuel Alvarez Diestro, «Amphitheaters», in: www.designboom.com
In his photographs, Manuel Alvarez Diestro documents dense Hong Kong cemeteries.
Various photographers (Corbis, Getty, Reuters etc.), «The crowded cemeteries of Hong Kong», in: www.theguardian.com
Andreas Gursky, Werke-Works 80-08, ed. Martin Hentschel, Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2008
The German photographer is drawn to large, anonymous, man-made spaces. He is known for his large format architecture and landscape colour photographs. Since the 90ies he manipulates his photographs digitally, creating spaces larger than the subjects photographed. His pictures follow a very strict geometrical composition and are full of details, which you detect only when you get close.