Wong Fuk-wing, the Hong Kong man hailed as a hero for saving orphans from the Qinghai quake, was buried yesterday, his coffin draped in the red-and-white Bauhinia flag.
Wong, 46, was the first ordinary citizen since the handover to be accorded the honour, normally reserved for public servants who die in the line of duty. The flag was later presented to his family.
Despite an amber rainstorm signal, more than 200 people, some from as far away as Tuen Mun, stood under umbrellas to pay their last respects as the cortege, led by four police motorcycles and cruisers, left Universal Funeral Parlour in Hung Hom for the Cape Collinson Chinese Permanent Cemetery.
Some held white banners praising Wong's selflessness in laying down his life for the earthquake victims.
In a remembrance book given to mourners at the funeral, Wong's elder sister wrote: 'Your passing away left us heartbroken. But your sacrificial spirit made us proud. If there was another lifetime, I wish we would be brother and sister again.'
Wong was a volunteer at Ci Xing Xi Yuan Hui orphanage in Yushu county. He rescued three children and three teachers from the rubble but was killed in an aftershock. Two of the Tibetan orphans he saved were among the mourners yesterday.
