A River of Mourners: Hong Kong gathers in tribute after Wong Fuk Court fire
HONG KONG. A silent line of mourners stretched for over a kilometer along the Tai Po River on Sunday, as people from across the city and of diverse ethnic backgrounds wound their way toward a park near Wong Fuk Court to pay their respects to the fire victims.
By Sunday, the death toll had risen to 146. The Hong Kong government has declared an official mourning period from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, and the Home Affairs Department has set up points in all 18 districts across Hong Kong for the public to sign condolence books.
The queue also included mourners of Indonesian and Filipino background, who were quietly placing their flowers among the others in the area. An Indonesian woman who gave her name as Alias and had come with friends called the fire “a very sad thing for everyone.”
At the Kwong Fuk Sitting-out Area, bundles of chrysanthemums lay on the ground, accompanied by handwritten notes, often on plain paper, with messages reading “Rest in Peace.” Stuffed toys and unopened packages of snacks rested beside a “missing person” poster for a little girl.
A woman with greying temples wept before the scorched building, her gaze alternating between the blackened building and the flowers near her feet.
Even as the light faded, people continued to arrive with flowers. As the East Rail Line train pulled into Tai Po Market Station, a stream of passengers carrying flowers stepped onto the platform. Among them was 35-year-old Ching Wai Chung, who traveled with his wife and young son from Mong Kok East, each holding a white chrysanthemum.
“I want to take my son to mourn for those affected by the fire. This was the most tragic accident I can remember,” Ching said. “Many florists in the Mong Kok Flower Market are offering free mourning flowers. It’s really touching to see that.”
In Mong Kok, Chan Chun Fat, a florist, observed that customers had been coming for chrysanthemums since Friday. In response, his shop began offering single stems for free and providing discounts on mourning bouquets. Yet Chan expressed a poignant sentiment about the surge in this particular demand.
I actually don’t wish to see so many people buying chrysanthemums. But if we can offer some comfort to the living, that is also good.
After laying flowers at the site, some mourners made their way to the Fu Heng Neighborhood Community Centre in Tai Po, the closest official condolence point to the fire scene, located just minutes away, to sign the books of remembrance.
Inside the community center, a deep quiet prevailed, punctuated only by the sound of pens on paper and the occasional sigh. A staff member managing the site noted that two condolence books had been filled by midday, with the number of visitors steadily increasing throughout the afternoon.
Lina Zhou, a student of the Education University of Hong Kong, came to pay her respects, saying the fire had also impacted some schoolmates.
“We need to mourn, but a transparent investigation is crucial,” she said. “Right now, the public discussion online is full of accusations and guesses instead of facts.”
A month before the fire at Wong Fuk Court, a prescient warning had been raised within the community. In a Facebook group for residents, a user named Alfred Wong cited a recent scaffolding fire in Central as a warning to his neighbors.
“Everyone must be careful with fire in winter,” he wrote. “The surroundings are all flammable materials.”
Reached after the fire, Wong confirmed his personal loss in a message: “The home is gone, but the people and the cat are safe.”