Hong Kong Photoset: Funerary Offerings (Sheung Wan)

On our second day in Hong Kong, we spent several hours wandering through Sheung Wan, where I found the shops selling funerary offerings quite amusing. (For anyone who isn’t familiar with this practice, some Chinese burn paper representations of real world things for dead relatives in the belief that the burnt offerings will be sent to those relatives in the afterlife.) Although these shops exist in Singapore too, I haven’t had any personal experience with such practices – we burnt “hell money” for my paternal grandparents at the time of their deaths, but never any paper goods – and I suppose there’s just that odd thing at work where something you don’t pay much attention to in your own country suddenly becomes exotic and interesting when you’re a camera-brandishing tourist somewhere else.

[slickr-flickr type=”gallery” size=”m640″ flickr_link=”on” align=”center” search=”sets” set=”72157631535349383″ descriptions=”on”]

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (and Dead)

Swanky European-style mansion, French maid, armed guard, guard dog. BALLIN’.

You can also have your maid more traditionally dressed if you prefer.

This luxury car comes with a uniformed, Caucasian chauffeur.

I didn’t check the price tag, but I have a horrible suspicion this one might have been cheaper.

I guess you can’t just bring any old luggage on the ultimate journey.

Darlings, these are so ‘oughties. Someone needs to start on a Céline range, stat.

Simpler Joys

Snarky as I was about the stuff above this, I am actually aware that it may not be considered good form to make light of other people’s beliefs surrounding the dead. But it isn’t so much the core belief I have an issue with, just the idea of continuing to value materialism and conspicuous consumption even when a person is dead. The following things sit better with me.

The next two make total sense – who cares about cancer or high cholesterol once you’re dead?

Please Burn These For Me

Well, not really. I’m Catholic, so whatever you burn for me isn’t going to make me any more comfy while I atone for my sins in Purgatory. But I was fairly amused that out of the rich bounty on offer for afterlife enhancement, these ended up being the two things I’d probably want most.