I See Dead People

One of the most unique things I find about my work place is that it not only is a recreation ground, it is also an eternal resting ground.

Land in Hong Kong is believed to belong to a family, no matter who technically "owns" it. Land is passed down through generation to generation and family members still all settle in that general area. My village I live in has many descendants of the Hau (sp?) family. The land is considered to be owned by that family although many land developers have come in and built apartments and schools and what not on it.

From what I understand, the land the Club is located on, is still believed to be owned by different families, even though the Club owns it. I know it is confusing, and I am still not 100% sure how it works, and I don't think I will ever truly be able to understand it either. It is definitely a cultural type belief.

However, since the land belongs to the family, they believe they have the right to bury their dead on it. Throughout all of Hong Kong are many tombs and there are many sprinkled throughout the land the Club encompasses. Below is an example of one:Even though this tomb looks very old, it is only about 40 years old. I have been practicing reading Chinese numbers so I can identify the dates on more of them, but sometimes the dates are too worn away. I also believe this tomb is of a member of the Hau family as well.

In the very center of the tomb is the name of the person and dates and some extra information. In front of that is a small area to hold incense. I think the belief is burning incense will bring good luck. There are also some tombs that have a small metal container for burning money. The thought behind burning money is that it will pass on to the person in the afterlife and they will be able to use the money. Also, by burning money it shows that you have so much money that you can just burn it and waste it. This is to bring you good luck and more money. On either sides of the tomb are usually two stone markers. These are to save places for people later on who will be buried next to them. The markers also help protect the deceased from unwanted spirits and what not.

All this information was told to me by many co-workers, so it is not absolutely reliably the truth, but it is at least a start to understanding about these odd tombs. If I discover any new information about these, I'll be sure to update it on this blog with more proper information.

Also, these tombs are not unique to just the Club, or the local village. I see many of these tombs throughout my travels in all parts of Hong Kong and will even see them high up in the mountains.