Society

Hundreds in HK say goodbye to Qinghai earthquake hero

By Ming Yeung (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-07 07:05

HONG KONG - Hong Kong residents, including hundreds of volunteers, streamed into a downtown funeral home on Thursday to pay their last respects to Wong Fuk-wing, a former volunteer who lost his life saving others in the earthquake that hit Qinghai province on April 14.

Wong, a 46-year-old truck driver who had survived the 7.1 magnitude quake in Yushu, died in a powerful aftershock when he was rescuing victims trapped in the debris of an orphanage where he worked as a volunteer.

Wong sacrificed himself to rescue four people, including three orphans and a teacher.

A three-hour public memorial service began at 4 pm on Thursday in a memorial hall of the Universal Funeral Parlor in Kowloon before the private service.

Thousands of mourners, including Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Chief Executive Donald Tsang, principal officials of the Hong Kong SAR government and senior officials with the Liaison Office of the Central Government attended the memorial service.

Two Tibetan orphans rescued by Wong, Palkyi and Ngodrup Chophun, together with two other children from Yushu, also attended the service to pay their last respects to Wong.

Palkyi expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Wong: "I am thankful to 'Uncle Ah Fuk'."

Wong's brave and selfless deed has moved the entire city, with many residents holding him up as the ultimate model of altruism. Many schools also arranged for students to pay tribute to the hero, including Wong's secondary school, Delia Memorial School (Broadway), which invited nine students, accompanied by four teachers, to attend the public service.

Kot Kwok Chiu, student affairs head of the school, said the students came voluntarily to grieve over their alumnus.

"We are all proud of him. He was an ordinary man who accomplished extraordinary deeds," Kot said.

"Love is beyond boundaries. Wong has become an idol to us, and we would like to follow in his footsteps," said Jaswinder Kaur, a student of the school.

Many remember Wong as a very humble person who never publicized his contributions and the hall was decorated in white to match his humility. Dozens of funeral wreaths surrounded the hall.

Those who offered wreaths included Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu, State Councilor Liu Yandong, Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Liao Hui and Qinghai provincial government officials.

Wong's family thanked the mourners and invited them to spread his selfless message to the others.

To that effect, the Red Cross Wong Fuk-wing Fund established last month has so far received a total of HK$1.153 million and is expected to fund charities on the Chinese mainland.

Wong himself was not well-off, though that did not stop him from contributing to charities, according to relatives and friends.

In 2002, he spent seven months in a solitary walk from Hong Kong to Beijing to raise funds for the Chinese Marrow Donor Program.

Following the Sichuan earthquake in May 2008, Wong worked for two months as a volunteer in quake-hit areas.

His body was brought back to Hong Kong on April 18.

He will be buried near his father at the Cape Collinson Chinese Permanent Cemetery on Friday. Wong's family declined a government offer for him to be buried at the Wo Hop Shek Tribute Garden - a cemetery for heroes.

Wong will be awarded the city's Gold Medal for Bravery.

Xinhua contributed to this story