hong kong's serene colonial cemeteries

1 February 2013. Finding a quiet spot without crowds of people in Hong Kong can be a challenge, but I found a place where the only other living person was a guard, who was asleep in his office.

by Robert Perry

Hong Kong's Colonial Cemetery in Happy Valley is simply gorgeous with old tombstones, trees, shady pathways and the sombre mysteries of the inhabitants who lived a century ago.

It was New Year's Day and I apparently convinced my friends, Mark and Jon, to see the cemetery with me. I love cemeteries. I enjoy reading the headstones and imagining what the interred's life was like back in 1844. Sometimes, the tombstones explained the cause of death, too. He was a sailor who died Aged 24. Drowned in the South China Sea.

The cemeteries, separated culturally, by religion, military and civilian, offer a beautiful walk through trees and ornate headstones. The cemetery even continues up a hillside, a unique feature for a graveyard.

If you're ever able to visit Hong Kong, I recommend a visit. It is located across the street from the Happy Valley Racetrack (I suppose it wouldn't be such a quiet place on race day).