Chung Yeung Festival: thousands of Hongkongers flock to mainland China to sweep ancestors’ tombs as border reopening restores tradition for many families
- Residents arrive at Lo Wu checkpoint as early as 9am to cross border into Shenzhen, with many seen carrying flowers and offerings
- ‘It’s our first time in three years,’ says one resident visiting cemetery in Shenzhen to sweep the graves of her parents
Scores of Hongkongers flocked to mainland China to sweep the tombs of their ancestors and loved ones on Monday for the first Chung Yeung Festival since the full reopening of the border, with many expressing joy at being able to take part in the tradition again.
Thousands of residents arrived at the Lo Wu checkpoint as early as 9am to cross the border into Shenzhen, with an average 10-minute wait on the Hong Kong side.
Visitors in groups of two to 12 were seen carrying flowers and offerings for their deceased loved ones and ancestors.
The festival, observed on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, is a traditional Chinese holiday where individuals visit the graves of their ancestors and relatives to tidy them up and make offerings as a gesture of filial piety.
This year’s festival is the first since the lifting of major pandemic travel restrictions.
Fandy Hui, a 55-year-old clerk, said she had come to Shenzhen with her husband and sister to clean the tombs of her mother and father at Dapeng Wan Cemetery.
“It’s our first time in three years,” Hui said. “Our family tradition is going to Shenzhen once a year to visit their graves during the Chung Yeung Festival. We were not able to do it over the past years because of Covid restrictions.”
