Hong Kong protests hit families’ grave-sweeping duty as disruptions to rail services make visits to cemeteries more difficult

Annual Chung Yeung Festival, a public holiday, involves families visiting cemeteries and paying their respects to ancestors

But with services only resuming at 39 of the MTR’s 93 metro stations because of widespread vandalism, getting around the city is more difficult

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A visitor at the Diamond Hill cemetery pays his respects to his ancestors. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 5:48pm, 7 Oct 2019Updated: 10:32pm, 7 Oct 2019

Fewer people have gone tomb sweeping in Hong Kong on the Chung Yeung Festival this year, according to families and shopkeepers, who say disruptions to rail services after a weekend of violence have played a big part.

Masked mobs went on a rampage over the weekend across the city, already reeling from four months of anti-government protests, to vent their fury over a new ban on face coverings at public assemblies.

Protesters again vandalised MTR facilities and set fires at exits of several stations as they continued their attack on the railway operator, which they say has helped police in their clearance operations.

The MTR Corporation on Monday said services had only resumed at 39 of its 94 stations as facilities at many of them had been damaged, adding trains would stop running at 6pm to allow more time for workers to carry out repairs.

The annual Chung Yeung Festival, a public holiday, involves families visiting cemeteries and commemorating their ancestors but fewer transport options made it more difficult for some to do their duty.

“There are much fewer people. I think people find it inconvenient to travel when many MTR stations are closed,” said Joyce Kwok, 65, who has visited the cemetery in Diamond Hill for about 30 years and went there by bus on Monday.

Few people visit Diamond Hill cemetery on Monday. Photo: Nora Tam