Hong Kong duo take a walk on the city’s grave side
Carmen Kam and Eric Wong met through their mutual interest in graves and the history of those buried there; they have since visited many overseas cemeteries
They were surrounded by gravestones, talking calmly about how they spent their birthdays and other special occasions walking around cemeteries in Asia, Australasia, Europe and Central America.
It is not an unusual weekend for the two office workers, Carmen Kam Ka-man, 33, and Eric Wong Lik-shun, 40. The duo, who found each other on Facebook due to their common interest in the dead, have been “cemetery buffs” for more than 10 years.
“I love studying history. I go anywhere that is related to history,” Wong said. “It’s like going to museums and heritage sites.”
Wong said that he learned the stories of the dead by looking at gravestones.“When you know who he or she is, you will try to find out the story behind that person. The grave decorations also show how posterity treats the dead.”
Kam said she not only loved studying history, but also enjoyed going to special places.
“Different gravestones highlight different countries, religions and cultures. The words on the gravestones can also tell their stories,” she said.
