Tung Wah Coffin Home

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Tung Wah Coffin Home
東華義莊
Tung Wah Coffin Home.jpg
Front entrance of Tung Wah Coffin Home
Tung Wah Coffin Home
General information
Type Coffin home
Location Sandy Bay
Address9 Sandy Bay Road, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
Completed1899;126 years ago (1899)
RenovatedAward of Honor (2005)
Award of Merit (2005)
Technical details
Floor area6,050 m2
Designated2020
Reference no.125
References

From the 19th century to the early 20th century, many Chinese people travelled to other countries in North and South America, or to South East Asian countries in search of jobs and better opportunities.

Many traditional Chinese individuals hoped to be buried in their birthplaces after their deaths. This was made possible by the facilities and services offered by the Coffin Home even if the dead bodies were overseas. As Hong Kong was located at a favourable transportation position, it soon became the central spot for people to travel back to their homeland from other countries.

At that time, it was very common for people to ask for help from Tung Wah Coffin Home, where the Coffin Home would transport the dead bodies back to their birthplaces for proper burial. Temporary depository of coffin was also made available when the bereaved wished to look for a better burial place for the dead. [4]

Architecture typology

The Tung Wah Coffin Home started in 1899 from the humble beginnings of a temporary shed, and transformed into the complex buildings that represent some of the best and archetypal Hong Kong architecture through the ages, including Vernacular Architecture, Colonial Architecture, a traditional Chinese Gateway and Pagoda. It comprises various buildings such as ossariums, halls and rooms with diverse architectural style of different periods. The entrance to the Main Reception Hall is rich in Chinese adornment, with two classical Roman Doric Order pillars standing boldly on two sides. The reception room has a colonial flat roof and a Chinese wall, while other rooms have British blinds. The Old Hall has retained the architectural merits of 1920s Hong Kong. The historic buildings were restored with traditional local knowledge and conservation techniques. [5]

6 major building areas [6]

New Hall

The New Hall is one of the major buildings at the Coffin Home, which best represents the architectural feature of the mixture of both western and Chinese styles. The two Roman Doric poles represents western style, while the gate, Chinese tablet and gatepost couplet represents common Chinese rural fashion.

Ning, Hong and Sou Rooms

These two rooms are more than a century old, which hold the longest history in the Coffin Home. A typical typology of traditional Vernacular Architecture is displayed with characteristics of brick walls, tilted roofs, strips of wood and Chinese clay tiles.

Yut Yuet Hall (日月莊) Tien, On and Git Rooms

This two areas are both characterised with mixed architectural styles which merge traditional Chinese architectural style with colonial flattop style.

Reception Hall, Two Corridor Porticos and Old Hall

Reception Hall: Doors and windows with a strong tropical tone highlights the Colonial Architecture style of the Old Hall. Double layers of British blinds and grille windows are applied.

Two Corridor Porticos: Corridor Porticos are a group of small rooms with an elegant colonial style of shutters and doors.

Ossarium

Ossariums were later built during 1970–1980s which represent typical typology of that era.

Pagoda

Typical Chinese traditional architecture.

Devotion to the society and history

For well over a century, Tung Wah Coffin Home has been, and still is, used for its original purpose, providing facilities for the temporary storage of coffins and urns waiting for transfer to the respective native places of the deceased. Taking care of those who died without means of proper burial has been one of the services provided by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals.

The repair and conservation project

Now largely in disuse, the Home has undergone a recent restoration, for which an award was given by the Hong Kong Government's Antiquities and Monuments Office. In 2005, the restoration and preservation work was honoured with a Heritage Award by UNESCO.

The major restoration project to the Tung Wah Coffin Home, started in 2003 in 2 phases spanning a total of 11 months, was carried out with the objectives of restoring the whole compound to its traditional architectural appearance, which bears distinctive features across different sections, and brings the building clusters to meet modern safety standards.

Before and after

All the following pictures were adopted from Tung Wah Coffin Home webpage: [6]

Purpose of the restoration work

The restoration work was conducted with purposes from three main aspects. First, the restoration work could preserve architectures with cultural and historical value in terms of the local Hong Kong history. Second, it could bring out the uniqueness of different architecture typologies with specific historical backgrounds. Third, renovation and maintenance would be done to fulfill safety standards. [6]

The restoration project has successfully preserved the Coffin Home as an important heritage in Hong Kong that not only demonstrates Tung Wah's philanthropic spirit and its role in the territory's history, but also embraces the changes in culture and burial customs of the Chinese community over the centuries.

Project summary

Tung Wah Coffin Home
Traditional Chinese 東華義莊
Transcriptions
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization Dūng wàah yih jōng
Jyutping Dung1 waa5 ji6 zong1
Restoration Works of Tung Wah Coffin Home [6]
OwnerTung Wah Group of Hospitals
DurationPhase 1 January 2003 ~ March 2003, Phase 2 November 2003~ March 2004
BudgetHK$10,000,000

Awards

1. Award of Honor, Hong Kong Heritage Awards (2004), Heritage Preservation and Conservation Awards [7]

Comments from adjudicators (The Antiquities and Monuments Office): “The Coffin Home demonstrates excellence in conservation practice applied to a group of historical buildings. By restoring the historical buildings with traditional local knowledge and exceptional conservation techniques, the Coffin Home is successful in preserving a significant architectural typology in the Asia–Pacific region, and thereby protecting an important chapter of the history of the overseas Chinese.”

2. Award of Merit, 2005 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation [1]

Comments from adjudicators (UNESCO): “The project was praised for preserving a unique building typology and an important cultural institution which reflects the evolving social history of Hong Kong. The complex includes a range of building traditions spanning from vernacular Chinese architecture to modern buildings.”

See also

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 2005 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award: Winners
  2. Dan Waters, Chinese Funerals: A Case Study
  3. B.D. Wilson, M.A, Chinese Burial Customs in Hong Kong
  4. "Coffin Home 15/11" (PDF).
  5. Antiquities and Monuments Office: Tung Wah Brief Information on proposed Grade II Items. Item #401 Archived 22 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  6. 1 2 3 4 Major Restoration Work of Tung Wah Coffin Home
  7. Hong Kong Heritage Awards(2004). The Antiquities and Monuments Office, Leisure and Cultural Services Department

22°16′16″N114°07′31″E / 22.2712°N 114.1253°E / 22.2712; 114.1253