Chinese Christian Cemetery, Pokfulam [1882- ]

Submitted by David on Wed, 01/14/2015 - 18:29
Current condition
In use
Date completed

Notes from the "Standard Hong Kong Island Tour Commentary":

Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union Pok Fu Lam Road Cemetery

The Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union Pok Fu Lam Road Cemetery also known as Pok Fu Lam Cemetery or Chinese Christian Cemetery was built in 1882. It is a cemetery under the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union.. It is a cemetery consisting of terraces on the hillside, interconnected with staircases, making it a magnificent view.

The Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union has always functioned on the funds raised by church members. Similarly, the cemetery was built with the funds provided by supporting Christian churches in Hong Kong. A priest from the Chinese Christian Union introduced the idea of creating a cemetery to cater to the needs of fellow Christians, therefore the Union applied to the government in 1882. When the application was approved, the cemetery was built in a large scale starting from the higher contours downwards. From Pok Fu Lam Road, the cemetery was extended to Victoria Road.

It seems to be a mix of permanent and temporary burial plots. This article makes it clear that new burials are rentals: 

However, wealthy residents can still find burial plots. The privately owned Chinese Christian Cemetery, on Pokfulam road, is one such location. For non-members the cost of a 10-year rental is $360,000HKD and renewal costs $240,000HKD. For members of the Chinese Christian Union, the cost of burial is discounted by fifty percent, according to cemetery officials.

But there are some old graves here, where it seems unlikely they'd still be paying rentals after so many years. I guess it started out offering permanent burial plots, then at a later date when space was restricted they switched to renting plots instead.

Other mentions:

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Photos that show this Place

1933
Pokfulam cemetry 2.jpeg
1946
Pokfulam cemetry.jpeg
1946
See more photos of this place

Comments

Henry Ching writes:

I was interested to read your recent post on the Chinese Christian Cemetery, and wondered if you have any further information.  My maternal grandmother is buried there, but I have no details as regards her correct name and the date of her death, and without these I have been unable to locate her grave.  I know she is buried there because, before the Pacific War, the family used to visit once a year to “sweep” the grave.
 
The cemetery is sometimes referred to as the Hong Kong Christian Churches Union Pok Fu Lam Cemetery.  I suppose the Hong Kong Christian Churches Union is the same body as the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union?  I ask because a very limited list of interments in the cemetery includes Frank Grose, Stella Grose and Arthur Rowan who, I think, were Eurasian. The list also includes Alice Hormusjee Ruttonjee.  Three other names stand out – the Rev. James Hudson Taylor, the Rev. Elmer Henry Thode and John Wilson. It seems interments were not confined to Chinese, but that they were Christians who were members of one of the Chinese churches.
 
I note also that the address of the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union is given as Junction Road, Kowloon City and that there appear to be cemeteries in that area that this Union manages (owns?).

Unfortunately I don't know any more than I posted above. Can anyone else add to the information?

Regards, David

You may want to check out the Carl T. Smith Collection which shows many Chinese inscriptions at the cemetery.  I was able to access it by borrowing the microfilm from familysearch.org (Mormon church which has a huge database of records).  The relevant film is:  Chinese Protestant cemetery, Pokfulam : inscriptions. -- 313 leaves. - FHL INTL Film [ 1208508 Item 10 ].  It's a copy of someone's handwritten records. They ship all over the world, you just have to find a location near you to which they will ship. 

Carl T. Smith compiled records that other people had made.  I believe that the Genealogical Society of Utah (Familysearch.org) filmed them so that is why they are available through their services and you order the films through their website.  It isn't translated so it is a combination of Chinese/English with much of the cemetery transcriptions handwritten.

"This collection, consisting of 56 reels of microfilm, provides information on individuals, organizations, buildings, roads, land matters and important events relating to Hong Kong, Macau and China's coastal cities from the mid 19th century onward. These 139,922 double-sided data cards were painstakingly compiled by Reverend Carl T. Smith through some 25 years' intensive research into a vast quantity of original records, newspapers and publications held by the Public Records Office (PRO) in Hong Kong. An online index to these cards is available from PRO’s website. For details, please refer to the collection’s catalogue record." (from https://hongkong.library.utoronto.ca/collection/carl-t-smith-collection)

There is a film in the collection that refers to the Colonial Cemetery.

Language
English
Chinese
Publication
Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1982
Physical
on 1 microfilm reel ; 16 mm.
Series
Carl T. Smith collection (Hong Kong)
Film Notes
Note - Location [Film]
St. Michael's Roman Catholic cemetery, Happy Valley : inscriptions. -- 57 leaves. - FHL INTL Film [ 1208508 Item 2 ]
Colonial cemetery, Happy Valley : inscriptions. -- 110 leaves. - FHL INTL Film [ 1208508 Item 3 ]
Register of burials, Happy Valley Colonial cemetery, 1853-1877, 1878-1884. -- 105 leaves. - FHL INTL Film [ 1208508 Item 4 ]
Parsee cemetery, Happy Valley : inscriptions. -- 18 leaves. - FHL INTL Film [ 1208508 Item 5 ]
Tsun Wan Chinese

Thanks Chris, that's a very useful link to know about!

If any readers are looking for records from this Chinese Christian Cemetery, the direct link to that page is:

https://familysearch.org/search/image/index#uri=https%3A%2F%2Ffamilysea…

The link that Chris gave takes you to the page listing all records in Hong Kong. The links are in pinyin, so:

  • Jiulong 九龍 = Kowloon
  • Xianggangdao 香港島 = Hong Kong island
  • Xinjie 新界 = New Territories

Note that you must already be signed in to the FamilySearch website (https://www.familysearch.org/en/) before you click the links for them to work. It's free to join if you don't already have an account there.

Regards, David