Our historic cemeteries deserve both our care and protection
Some historic tombs at public cemeteries in Hong Kong have been either poorly restored or neglected. Should these graves get more protection?
Surely historic graves deserve to be protected; they are gold mines of information that might otherwise have been lost or forgotten. In Hong Kong, we have 11 public, 28 private and two military cemeteries.
Some of them, particularly those located in Happy Valley, were built in the mid-1800s when the British colony was established.
These historic graves hold great cultural significance, possessing aesthetic, historic and social values that help us see a glimpse of the past.
Every time I walk through the Hong Kong Cemetery, I stand in front of the graves for the British military dead and walk through the Japanese section wondering why they ended up resting here. These historic graves are of educational value, but not only do they enrich our knowledge, they will also be valuable to our future generations.
The form, the ornament and the material of the tombstones, with their beautiful artwork designs, are worth seeing. Some might be interested to know the meaning of the features on the tombstones; a broken column on the grave of a man means he died in the prime of life, an anchor represents one's Christian beliefs which death cannot change.
Will these historic treasures be buried away without proper care? Acid rain, neglect, general weathering, and erosion will badly affect them. For the deceased with relatives, their graves might be looked after well; but the condition of those graves without caretakers is continuing to decline.
Shall we protect them? Yes, they deserve our protection, and not only limited to the cleaning and mosquito clearing that the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department is doing.
Tombs are not yet legally protected under present conservation policies. Cemetery conservation is necessary. Besides keeping historic value, it can encourage tourism.
There are guided walking tours in western countries' cemeteries, why should Hong Kong not have them?
Eva Kwok, North Point
