Xinyu Liu is a Chinese undergraduate student at Hong Kong Baptist University studying journalism.
Liu has shared her photo series on the city’s crowded burial spaces with HKFP.
Liu visited Hong Kong’s cemeteries during the Qingming festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day last month, during which Chinese families visit the tombs of their ancestors to clean their gravesites and make offerings such as burning incense and laying out traditional food dishes.
The photographer told HKFP she was shocked at how crowded the area is, saying she visited a five-storey building with several compact walls for the deceased and poor ventilation, which trapped in smoke from the burning incense.
“The Chinese believe in finding peace beneath the soil (入土為安), but if peace can’t be guaranteed after death, how can we ensure living Hongkongers will find peace?” she said.
