- Title: HONG KONG: LACK OF BURIAL SPACE CREATE MACABRE BLACK MARKET
- Date: 2nd August 1971
- Summary: 1. GTV Hong Kong 0.8 2. SV Crowded streets 0.14 3. GTV Crowded grave yard 0.24 4. SV Entrance to repository 0.27 5. GV Attendant walks through rooms full of coffins 0.35 6. GV Another room crammed with coffins 0.48 7. SV Coffins made in 1906 0.53 8. GV Hearse drives through street 1.01 9. SV PAN Coffin carried past camera 1.12 10. GV INT. Funeral service 1.17 11. GV Tombstones in cemetery 1.20 12. CU Altar PAN TO mourners arrive 1.28 13. CU Coffin & body beneath shroud 1.31 14. SV Mourners pay respects & weep 1.38 15. CU Burning joss stick 1.40 16. GV Crowded grave yard (3 shots) 1.52 17. CU Cavity for storing ashes PULL BACK TO others already filled. 2.05 Initials SGM/1256 SGM/1325 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 17th August 1971 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Hong Kong
- Country: Hong Kong
- Reuters ID: LVAEUJ00TJ7H0OJ3R2VGM6LYKM1T
- Story Text: Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, has always had housing problems, but now there is an equally perplexing problem....finding somewhere to bury the dead. Hong Kong is running out of cemetery space -- so much so that flourishing black market has begun for the few plots that are available. Most funeral parlours have coffins waiting to be buried. But space isn't the only problem. "Fung Shui", which roughly translated means "good fortune", is another reason why the parlour are becoming filled. The Chinese believe that good fortune in the "after life" depends on the time of burial. So coffins wait, sometimes for many years, until the relatives feel the time is right.
SYNOPSIS: Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated cities in the world...for the average Chinese citizen big problem is finding somewhere to live. Now he faces another equally perplexing problem; find somewhere to be buried when he ??? The colony is running out of cemetery space---so much so that flourishing black market has begun for the few plots still available
A coffin repository run by a Hong Kong charity, is full with bodies waiting to be buried. But the shortage of space isn't the only problem. "Fung Shui", which rough translated means "good fortune" responsible for part of the build up. The Chinese believe that good fortune is the "after-life" depend on the time of burial.
This coffin has been in the repository for 65 years. When relatives decide that the family is having spell of good fortune, it'll be buried ensuring happy "after-life for the dead relation.
For the wealthy, the problem of finding burial space is not so acute. They can buy permanent plo??? from the Hong Kong Government of private cemeteries. However, with the space shortage, they may has to pay up to ten time the norman price from blackmarketeers.
But it's the poor who face the biggest problem. The most they afford is a temporary plot at a public graveyard. After seven year the body is dug up and cremated the plot reverts to the government. But not even this method is solve the problem. A ghoulish black-market has started up. Bodies are being dug up and the plots sold. Other methods concern people who buy plots for their burial, only finish up in the crematorium and have their plots sold by relative.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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