Chinese celebration victim of economics
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
George Young, right, was the driving force behind the Ching Ming celebrations at the Manoa Chinese Cemetery. The celebration this year has been canceled because of lack of money.
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
His father's dying wish years ago led George Chew Kai Young to revive the annual Ching Ming Celebration at the Manoa Chinese Cemetery and turn it into a major cultural event that attracted hundreds.
But with Young's death in November and not enough money to pull it off this year, the celebration has been canceled.
Ching Ming has been observed in China for about 3,000 years. Every April 5 (April 4 in leap years), tradition calls for families to lay out food and drink for the spirits of ancestors that return to visit the world of the living.
Young, a tireless volunteer at the cemetery, championed the revival of Ching Ming in Manoa, drawing people to elaborate ceremonies and banquets. Young also led the effort to restore the cemetery after honoring his father's call to "go to the cemetery and do some charity."
But the big celebration has been called off for economic and safety reasons, said Winfred Lum, a trustee for the Lin Yee Chung Association, which manages the cemetery and has staged the event.
"We've neglected maintenance for so many years," Lum said. "This year we could not postpone it any longer. It has reached the stage where the termites are eating the place. Even with (Young) on board we would have had to scale back because of the postponement in maintenance and the lack of funds this year."
Lum said the association depends on the sale of burial plots and pavilion rental fees to pay for the Ching Ming events and maintain the grounds. Plots sell for about $4,000, and sales have dropped significantly this year, he said.
Advertiser library photo • March 30, 2000
Young was president of the Lin Yee Chung Association for 13 years. He took over care of the cemetery more than a decade ago, transforming it from a weedy, unkempt place to a beautiful garden spot.
George Young, right, his brother, Jimmy, left, and Benny Sacro were among those involved in the upkeep of the Manoa Chinese Cemetery, before George's death in November. The Youngs solicited donations of the monuments that now adorn the grounds of the cemetery.
"George exposed the Chinese culture to the community by inviting the public to Ching Ming," said his daughter-in-law Susan Young. "Many of us are third-, fourth-generation, and without these kinds of things, I feel the younger generation will not learn the culture. It doesn't get carried on. To be told about something or to actually see it are two very different things."
Young and his brother Jimmy solicited donations of the monuments that now adorn the grounds from other Chinese groups, and installed two new gateways.
The hundreds of visitors who attended the festivities every year were greeted by a pair of guardian lion statues flanking the gateway entry.
The ceremonies began with entertainment, including taiko drumming and bagpipes. A procession to the Grand Ancestor's Tomb at the top of the hill followed.
Marines fired a 21-gun salute, flowers were dropped from a helicopter and colorful pigeons released. There were speeches by dignitaries, more music and a big meal in the Memorial Hall.
"It's something to see," said Elko Evans, who rents land near the cemetery from the association for an organic garden. "It's like a Chinese Grateful Dead (concert). They are up there building bonfires and blasting firecrackers. It is usually muddy and they get all dirty and burn 'hell money.' "
Lum said it cost the association about $10,000 to put on the event, and they can no longer afford it. The trustees will hold a small, private ceremony this year, he said, and families or groups can hold remembrances on their own.
"We had a lot of expenditures last year," Lum said. "We went a little overboard, so we have to scale back this year."
Young, who is now buried at the Manoa cemetery, received many honors for his charity work during his 76 years. He devoted endless hours to improving the cemetery, securing donations and promoting Ching Ming, said Susan Young.
"It was a bit elaborate and I didn't expect anything near that this year, but to cut it off from the public is too much," she said. "He would be turning in his grave if he knew what is happening."
Trustee Alfred Mun said the association will meet Feb. 7 to discuss the future of the event.
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.
